Good morning! Here is your news briefing for Wednesday January 26, 2022
1.) THE DAILY SIGNAL
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January 26 2022
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Good morning from the nation’s capital, where liberals continue to play dumb about their role in encouraging rampant crime. From Seattle, Jason Rantz recounts what police “reform” has brought to Washington state. Fred Lucas reports on the prosecution of a local election fraud case in California. On the podcast, we examine President Biden’s missteps in foreign policy. Plus: Russia again threatens Ukraine; and the administration falls short with COVID-19 tests. On this date in 2005, President George W. Bush appoints Condoleezza Rice as secretary of state, making her the highest-ranking black woman to serve in a U.S. president’s Cabinet.
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2.) THE EPOCH TIMES
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3.) DAYBREAK
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@DaybreakInsider
4.) THE SUNBURN
Sunburn — The morning read of what’s hot in Florida politics — 1.26.22
Good Wednesday morning.
COVID-19 and pocketbook issues are top of mind among Florida voters, according to new polling released by the State Innovation Exchange.
According to SiX, 63% of voters want the state to put its financial muscle behind efforts that help families, businesses, schools and health care systems rather than pursue a path of austerity.
“With the Legislature back in Session, Floridians want policies that help them deal with the fallout from this pandemic,” said James Chan, SiX Florida State Director. “They want money spent where it matters; they want to be the priority and to have investments in our future — schools, paid leave, Medicaid expansion, not more tax breaks for the wealthy and well connected.”
Specifically, SiX found that 63% of voters want the Legislature to provide workers with benefits such as paid sick and family leave compared to 22% who would rather lawmakers cut regulations on business. More than four in five want lawmakers to act on a Homeowners Bill of Rights. And 62% said they favored Medicaid expansion compared to 23% who are opposed.
The poll also showed voters were open to the idea of new to cover the tab — 71% are OK with higher taxes on tobacco and vaping products, 68% want corporate tax loopholes closed, two-thirds are open to legalizing and taxing cannabis, and the same number said they support legalizing and taxing sports betting.
TargetSmart conducted the SiX poll Nov. 30-Dec. 9. It has a sample size of 1,238 self-identified Florida voters and a margin of error of plus or minus 3.6%.
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Doug Sessions Jr. has been named the 2022 recipient of the Chiles Advocacy Award, presented by Children’s Week Florida and administered by The Children’s Forum.
The award, named for former Gov. Lawton Chiles and his wife, Rhea, is presented each year to a Floridian who has dedicated extensive time, philanthropic effort and advocacy on statewide issues affecting the status and well-being of children, youth, and families.
Sessions has been a fierce advocate for Florida’s children and families for more than a quarter-century as president and CEO of The Ounce of Prevention Fund of Florida, an organization that identifies, funds, supports, and tests programs aimed at improving children’s lives.
“Doug Sessions has been relentless in his dedication to the vision of Lawton and Rhea Chiles, and has worked every day to create a better place for Florida’s less fortunate children and families, who have been hit so hard by the modern pandemic,” said Dr. Phyllis Kalifeh, president and CEO of The Children’s Forum. “Doug is the embodiment of the giving spirit of the late Governor and First Lady, and he is richly deserving of this recognition.”
Tennis legend and longtime Ounce board member Chris Evert added, “Doug Sessions has worked for decades establishing and nurturing child abuse prevention and family support programs in our great state. Because of his efforts, Florida’s children and their families will continue to benefit for years to come. He is more than deserving of the 2022 Chiles Advocacy Award.”
— SITUATIONAL AWARENESS —
—@Meg_Cunn: Sad stats in this new Pew poll: 78% say they aren’t proud of the state of the country, 53% say they aren’t hopeful, and 62% say they are fearful about the state of the nation
—@ChrisLHayes: The COVID discourse is weird and nasty because I think it just absolutely sucks to go through two years of a pandemic. But one thing that feels weird now is that the winning side in the “get back to normal” debate seems very angry about losing the debate even though they won?
—@AGAshleyMoody: Glad to see OSHA withdraw its vaccine mandate today after our SCOTUS win, but surprised it’s pushing forward to finalize a similar rule. @JoeBiden doesn’t know when to quit. I’ll continue to fight to ensure American workers are not forced to receive the shot against their will.
—@AShihpar: anyone who publishes an endemic COVID oped and says we have to live with it has to also write out a paragraph about how hospitals are going to deal with this going forwards. no more vibes, where are your plans buddy
—@GovRonDeSantis: Without a shred of clinical data to support its decision, the Biden administration has revoked the emergency use authorization for lifesaving monoclonal antibody treatments.
—@BlaiseIngoglia: It’s kind of fitting that the new Omicron variant is named BA.2 (blood alcohol level 0.2) because mandate-crazy lockdown Democrats are drunk with power.
—@LMower3: Florida is great and we shouldn’t be writing stories about WalletHub surveys.
Tweet, tweet:
Tweet, tweet:
—@ByJenAMiller: Disney really underestimated the popularity of Encanto, eh? One small table of merch in Disney Springs.
— DAYS UNTIL —
James Madison Institute’s Stanley Marshall Day Celebration in Jacksonville — 2; XXIV Olympic Winter Games begins — 9; Super Bowl LVI — 18; Will Smith’s ‘Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’ reboot premieres — 18; Discover Boating Miami International Boat Show begins — 21; season four of “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’ begins — 21; Spring Training report dates begin — 22; Synapse Florida tech summit begins — 22; ‘The Walking Dead’ final season part two begins — 25; Daytona 500 — 25; Special Election for Jacksonville City Council At-Large Group 3 — 28; Suits For Session — 28; CPAC begins — 29; St. Pete Grand Prix — 30; Biden to give State of the Union — 34; ‘The Batman’ premieres — 37; the third season of ‘Atlanta’ begins — 56; season two of ‘Bridgerton’ begins — 58; The Oscars — 60; Macbeth with Daniel Craig and Ruth Negga begin performances on Broadway — 62; Grammys rescheduled in Las Vegas — 67; federal student loan payments will resume — 95; ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ premieres — 100; ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ premieres — 121; ‘Platinum Jubilee’ for Queen Elizabeth II — 127; ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ premieres — 164; San Diego Comic-Con 2022 — 177; Michael Mann and Meg Gardiner novel ‘Heat 2’ publishes — 195; ‘The Lord of the Rings’ premieres on Amazon Prime — 219; ‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’ sequel premieres — 254; ‘Black Panther 2’ premieres — 289; ‘The Flash’ premieres — 292; ‘Avatar 2′ premieres — 324; ‘Captain Marvel 2′ premieres — 387; ‘John Wick: Chapter 4’ premieres — 422; ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’ premieres — 548; ‘Dune: Part Two’ premieres — 632; Opening Ceremony of the 2024 Olympic Games — 912.
—TOP STORY —
“White House: Ron DeSantis ‘still advocating for treatments that don’t work’” via Alex Roarty of the Miami Herald — White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Tuesday criticized DeSantis’ demand that the federal government restart the distribution of two types of monoclonal antibodies, saying DeSantis is advocating for a treatment that public health officials say is ineffective against the omicron coronavirus variant. The FDA on Monday barred health care providers from using monoclonal treatments manufactured by Regeneron and Eli Lilly. “What the FDA is making clear is that these treatments, the ones that they are fighting over, that the Governor is fighting over, do not work against omicron, and they have side effects. That is what the scientists are saying.”
Tweet, tweet:
“DeSantis says he will ‘fight back’ against Joe Biden’s monoclonal cutoff” via A.G. Gancarski of Florida Politics — DeSantis outlined his latest plan to “fight back” against the decision by the Biden administration to cut off access to monoclonal antibody treatments but was short on specifics as to how that battle would take place. “We’re going to fight back against this because this is just wrong. It’s not the way, you know, that you help people,” DeSantis said. Asked about the strategy for combating the federal pause, DeSantis replied, “We’ll see.” Part of the strategy will be to “expose what this actually means for people,” DeSantis said, though it’s uncertain what that entails beyond battling in the press. The Governor rejected the premise that the treatments don’t work against omicron.
—”DeSantis, conservatives erupt over FDA pulling monoclonal antibodies shown to be ineffective against omicron” via Aaron Blake of The Washington Post
—”Florida monoclonal antibody sites shut down after FDA decision. What happens now?” via Michelle Marchante and Daniel Chang of the Miami Herald
“DeSantis has a message for Dr. Anthony Fauci in a new ad: ‘Pound sand.’” via Punchbowl News — DeSantis’ reelection campaign purchased a 60-second ad buy that started airing on OANN seeking to discredit Fauci’s pandemic expertise. Team DeSantis released the ad on Twitter last week, but today marks the first time the clip is on television. The ad ends with a solicitation to buy Fauci-themed flip-flops.
To watch the ad, click on the image below:
— DATELINE TALLY —
First on #FlaPol — “Wilton Simpson to push for $15 minimum wage for state workers in budget” via Gray Rohrer of Florida Politics — Senate President Simpson, a Trilby Republican, led the charge last year to increase the minimum wage for state workers to $13 an hour. This year, he wants to boost it to $15 per hour starting Oct. 1 — four years before the minimum wage will reach $15 for all workers. The move would cost $1 billion in state funds and affect thousands of state workers and even more contractors. More exact estimates of how many workers would see a raise weren’t immediately available. “We have the cash this year to do it, so there’s no excuses,” he added. “If we don’t do it this year, it’s because we didn’t have the courage to do it.”
“Senate Democrats expect ‘fiery’ debate at Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo’s confirmation hearing” via Jeffrey Schweers of USA Today Network — Four months after DeSantis appointed his new controversial surgeon general, the Florida Senate will finally get to question Dr. Ladapo about his qualifications for handling a pandemic and running the state’s public health agency. Expect a “vigorous, even fiery debate” when Ladapo appears Wednesday morning before the Senate Health Policy Committee, Senate Democratic Leader Lauren Book said. She and her colleagues plan to question him about his lack of experience dealing with pandemics and other public health crises, his controversial views that go against the mainstream medical community, and his lack of administrative experience.
“Lauren Book’s cyber-terror bill clears first committee stop” via Scott Powers of Florida Politics — A bill intended to criminalize the theft of sexually explicit pictures won strong backing Tuesday from the Senate Criminal Justice Committee. SB 1798 was pushed through the committee by Book, who in the past year was the victim of what she described as the “next frontier of intimate terror.” The measure also criminalizes the cyber trafficking of stolen or altered images to create sexually explicit terror. “When it comes to digital sex crimes, the law simply has not caught up with the technology,” Book told the committee Tuesday.
—@LeaderBookFL: Many of you heard my story today … now, I want to hear YOURS. If you’ve been affected by deepfakes, cyber trafficking, or the like and would be willing to share your story, please email Gonzalez.Angel@flsenate.gov or send me a Twitter DM
“Dental care, workforce shortage and market monopolies targeted in House Medicaid proposal” via Christine Jordan Sexton of Florida Politics — Dental care, health care workforce shortages and managed care monopolies are targeted in a proposed rewrite of the state’s mandatory Medicaid managed care program the House released late Tuesday. The proposed 40-page bill that will be considered by the House Finance and Facilities Subcommittee Wednesday puts dental care back on the list of covered services that contracted Medicaid managed care plans would be required to provide, along with traditional health care services. The bill allows contracted health plans to include in their medical expenses money they spend on training nurses or students enrolled in other health care workforce training programs.
“Senate advances Joe Gruters’ book banning bill” via Jacob Ogles of Florida Politics — The Senate Education Committee changed a bill about parents yelling at school board members to one about objecting to library books with LGBTQ characters. It advanced on a party-line vote. Much of the public comment in the committee meeting centered on a debate about instructional materials. If it becomes law, the legislation will mandate a review process overseen by a certified media professional, with a requirement school district superintendents must certify to the DOE by the end of March each year that all teaching materials align with state standards. Any review for instruction set up by districts must include parents of children within the public schools. “The purpose of this bill is about transparency,” Sen. Joe Gruters said, “not to censor anything.”
“Florida GOP bill would slash some school board members’ salaries” via Ana Ceballos of the Tampa Bay Times — As DeSantis and Florida Republicans amplify local school board politics in the lead-up to the 2022 midterms, GOP-backed measures that would slash the pay of the vast majority of elected school board members are gaining traction in the Florida Legislature. The Senate Education Committee approved a bill that would set the salary of school board members at $18,000 a year. The move would reduce school board members’ pay in 49 of Florida’s 67 school districts.
“House panel advances bill withholding Superintendent salaries for schools that don’t meet safety standards” via Anne Geggis of Florida Politics — School superintendents would have their salaries withheld if the school districts they oversee or the charter schools under their jurisdiction are not complying with state school safety requirements. The bill (HB 1421) aims, broadly, to build on the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Public Safety Act, passed in the wake of Florida’s worst school shooting. It looks to make the act’s procedures more transparent and more specific. The House Early Learning & Elementary Education Subcommittee approved the bill Tuesday, 12-3. A similar measure (SB 802) also is advancing with bipartisan support in the Senate. It’s due for a hearing before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Education.
“Responding to Surfside tragedy, Senate moves bill to require statewide inspections” via Mary Ellen Klas of the Miami Herald — Florida legislators began work on updating the state’s condominium regulations in response to the Champlain Towers South collapse as a Senate committee advanced a bill Tuesday to impose inspection requirements statewide, including stricter standards for buildings near the coastline. The measure, SB 1702, was unanimously approved by the Senate Community Affairs Committee and is expected to serve as the vehicle to attach other condo-related reforms, such as new regulations on disclosure of condo conditions and new oversight related to condo boards. The bill would establish a mandatory structural inspection program for multi-family residential buildings that are greater than three stories and larger than 3,500 square feet, a requirement that could affect as many as 2 million residents in Florida.
—TALLY 2 —
“Bill permitting smoking bans in beaches, public parks passes first House committee” via Tristan Wood of Florida Politics — HB 105 passed the House Professions and Public Health Subcommittee 17-1. The bill does not implement any statewide ban on public areas, but permits local governments to implement such bans if they choose, said its sponsor, Rep. Randy Fine. Under Florida law, regulating the tobacco industry only rests with the state. Fine told the committee local governments currently have no recourse to protect children from tobacco smoke at a park or beach property.
“House lawmakers to consider gutting Miya’s Law, named for slain Orlando college student” via Skyler Swisher of the Orlando Sentinel — A Florida House committee will consider gutting a bill named in honor of slain Orlando college student Miya Marcano, removing almost all of its provisions aimed at making apartment complexes safer. State legislators filed Miya’s Law after the slaying of Marcano. Police say Marcano was killed by a maintenance worker who had a passkey to her apartment. The House’s version also omits language that would require apartment complexes to establish procedures for issuing and tracking master keys. It retains a provision increasing the notification period for entering a tenant’s apartment for non-emergency maintenance from 12 to 24 hours.
“Organized retail theft bill steals Senate panel’s support” via Renzo Downey of Florida Politics — A Senate panel Tuesday gave the first OK to a bill (SB 1534), carried by Bradenton Republican Sen. Jim Boyd. The measure would increase penalties for those who steal multiple items from multiple stores in a short period. Sen. Ed Hooper presented the measure before the Senate Criminal Justice Committee, which advanced the bill unanimously. Individuals or groups would be subject to third-degree felonies for, within 30 days, committing five or more retail thefts and stealing 10 or more items from at least two different locations. Those who steal 20 or more items would see that bumped up to a second-degree felony. Businesses would have to tabulate the cost of the stolen items within those 30 days.
“Juvenile expunction bill soars through House committee” via Jason Delgado of Florida Politics — A bill that would broaden a juvenile’s ability to expunge their arrest record in Florida inched one step closer Tuesday toward becoming law. State law limits expungement opportunities to minors who complete a diversion program after a first-time misdemeanor arrest. However, the bill (HB 195) would expand juvenile expunction laws to include felonies, except for forcible felonies, and arrests beyond a minor’s first offense. Forcible felonies include murder, rape and kidnapping, among others. The House Justice Appropriations Subcommittee OK’d the bill unanimously. Rep. David Smith is the bill sponsor.
“Proposal mandating national anthem at sporting events clears first House committee” via Jason Delgado of Florida Politics — Sports teams that accept public dollars would be required to play the national anthem before every game under a measure OK’d Tuesday by a House committee. The House Local Administration and Veterans Affairs Subcommittee approved the bill (HB 499) with a 12-4 vote, mostly along party lines. Rep. Tommy Gregory of Sarasota is the bill sponsor. Some Democratic lawmakers characterized the bill as a strong-arm against private companies.
“House wetlands acquisition bill advances to final committee” via Kelly Hayes of Florida Politics — A bill that seeks to help the state acquire critical wetlands is on to its final committee stop after the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee unanimously approved it Tuesday. The legislation (HB 761), filed by Rep. Keith Truenow, would require water management districts to develop a list of critical wetlands for acquisition using funds from the state’s Land Acquisition Trust Fund (LATF). The LATF is administered by the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to finance the acquisition of land in the state for conservation. The state’s five regional water management districts would work with local governments to establish the list.
“Bill proposing two-mile buffer zone to protect the Everglades advances” via Jesse Scheckner of Florida Politics — The House Environmental, Agriculture & Flooding Subcommittee fully endorsed a bill (HB 729) by Rep. Vance Aloupis that would create a protective review process under the Department of Environmental Protection for all proposed projects within 2 miles of the Everglades. The bill, a twin to legislation Sen. Ana Maria Rodriguez filed with support from Sen. Annette Taddeo in November, has received endorsements from the Everglades Foundation, CLEO Institute and Sierra Club.
“Floating solar arrays could come to some manmade waterways in Florida” via Jesse Scheckner of Florida Politics — Solar energy arrays throughout Florida may expand to aquatic settings thanks to twin proposals now moving through the Legislature. On Tuesday, members of the House Tourism, Infrastructure & Energy Subcommittee unanimously OK’d one of the proposals (HB 1411) by Rep. Bryan Ávila. The bill, an identical companion to legislation Sen. Manny Díaz Jr. filed in December, would direct the state Office of Energy to develop and submit to the Legislature recommendations for a regulatory framework for private- and public-sector entities to develop and operate floating solar-power facilities. The recommendations and framework would be due by Dec. 31.
“Senate bill seeking to boost funds for waste-to-energy facilities heads to second committee” via Kelly Hayes of Florida Politics — A Senate bill seeking to incentivize the use of solid waste-to-energy facilities unanimously cleared its first committee Tuesday afternoon. The proposal (SB 1764), filed by Sen. Ben Albritton, would create a program that encourages municipalities to establish solid waste-to-energy facilities. The bill appropriates $100 million in recurring funds for the program. The program would provide financial assistance via a grant program and an incentive grant program to municipal solid waste-to-energy facilities. What are solid waste-to-energy facilities? These industrial facilities convert non-recyclable waste materials into usable heat, electricity or fuel through processes like combustion, gasification, pyrolization, anaerobic digestion and landfill gas recovery.
“Senate panel votes to lower threshold to print specialty plates” via Renzo Downey of Florida Politics — Senators are moving forward with a proposal to lower the number of pledges necessary to start printing specialty license plates. Lawmakers approved a fleet of specialty plates just before the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. With the pandemic, lawmakers say several of those plates are on the chopping block because they haven’t garnered the necessary number of pre-purchases. Tuesday, the Senate Transportation Committee voted unanimously to advance a bill (SB 364), dropping the number of required pledges to 2,500 for all plates. The bill also resets the 24-month clock on how long organizations have to reach the threshold on presales. Sen. Aaron Bean, who is sponsoring the bill, said of the 60 recently approved plates, 33 haven’t met the threshold to go to print.
—MORE TALLY —
“Taking it to the streets: Democrats push GOP to allow voters to weigh in on Medicaid expansion” via Christine Jordan Sexton of Florida Politics — Florida Democrats are mounting yet another effort to expand Medicaid coverage to uninsured childless adults. Sens. Taddeo and Victor Torres, and Reps. Felicia Robinson and Geraldine Thompson pleaded with Republican legislative leaders Tuesday to schedule debate on two proposed joint resolutions (SJR 412 and HJR 239) to put Medicaid expansion on the 2022 ballot.
“Faculty groups blast bill to make presidential searches more secret” via Divya Kumar of the Tampa Bay Times — A bill that would keep parts of the presidential selection process secret at Florida’s public colleges and universities is drawing harsh criticism from faculty leaders who call it an authoritarian move. With presidential searches underway at four state universities, faculty organizations in Florida and beyond, say the legislation threatens to blur the line between higher education and politics.
“Environmental group says more manatees will die if Florida’s seagrass mitigation bill passes” via Daniel Figueroa of Florida Politics — Leaders of one of the country’s oldest marine conservation groups say a bill being considered by lawmakers would make it easier for developers to destroy seagrass that Florida’s manatees depend upon for survival. Ocean Conservancy is urging Florida lawmakers to oppose the legislation. The bills (SB 198 and HB 349) would establish seagrass mitigation banks. That would allow a developer seeking permits for a project that would destroy seagrass to buy credits in a mitigation bank to cover the cost of seagrass restoration somewhere else. Theoretically, 1 acre destroyed would mean 1 acre built in another location. Florida has more than 2 million acres of seagrass along its coast and in its estuaries. But those numbers have been shrinking.
“Senate committee OK’s veteran suicide prevention training pilot program” via Jason Delgado of Florida Politics — Florida could soon launch a Veteran Suicide Prevention Pilot Training Program under bill OK’d Tuesday by a Senate committee. The bill (SB 1712) calls on the Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) to establish the program and provide suicide prevention training to veteran service organizations via a contractor. The training would emphasize crisis counseling tailored to the unique needs of veterans. Sen. Danny Burgess, an army reservist and former DVA Director, is the bill sponsor. He described the pilot as “unfinished business” from his time leading the department. The COVID-19 pandemic, he said, threw a wrench in the department’s effort. At the time, veteran nursing homes seized the department’s focus.
Happening tonight — Lawmakers take to the diamond for the 39th Annual Florida Professional Firefighters King of the Hill Softball Game. Legislators from both sides of the aisle will be taking the field with specially made uniforms to play in support of firefighters across the state. The first pitch is 6 p.m. at the James Messer Softball Complex, 2830 Jackson Bluff Rd., Tallahassee.
— SKED —
Happening today — 2022 Brevard County Day hosted by Rep. Tyler Sirois, 8 a.m., South Plaza.
Happening today — Polk County Day hosted by the Polk County delegation and Board of County Commissioners featuring its annual reception, 10 a.m., 22nd Floor.
— The Senate Agriculture Committee meets to consider SB 1832, from Sen. Jason Brodeur, to develop a program to provide incentives to agriculture businesses to contribute fresh fruit and vegetables to food-distribution organizations, 10 a.m., Room 110 of the Senate Office Building.
— The Senate Governmental Oversight and Accountability Committee meets to consider SB 170), from Sen. Tina Polsky, to expand a public-records exemption for the names of people who win lottery prizes of $250,000 or more, 10 a.m., Room 37 of the Senate Office Building.
— The Senate Health Policy Committee meets to consider the confirmation of state Surgeon General Ladapo, 10 a.m., Room 412 of the Knott Building.
Happening today — Americans for Prosperity-Florida hosts a school choice rally as part of National School Choice Week, noon, Capitol Courtyard.
— The Senate Health and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee meets to discuss nursing shortages, with updates from Independent Colleges and Universities of Florida, the state university system, the Florida College System, and the Florida Hospital Association, 1 p.m., Room 412 of the Knott Building.
— The Senate Transportation, Tourism and Economic Development Appropriations Subcommittee will consider a bill (SB 438), from Sen. Burgess, to update laws concerning the United States Space Force, 1 p.m., Room 110 of the Senate Office Building.
— The Senate Agriculture, Environment and General Government Appropriations Subcommittee meets to consider SB 1400, also from Burgess, to allot $20 million a year to protect several waterways in Central Florida, 3:30 p.m., Room 110 of the Senate Office Building.
— The Senate Education Appropriations Subcommittee meets to consider SB 1048, from Sen. Manny Diaz Jr., to replace the current standardized testing system for public schools with a “progress monitoring program,” 3:30 p.m., Room 412 of the Knott Building.
— House Judiciary Committee, 8 a.m., Room 404 of the House Office Building.
— House Education & Employment Committee, 9 a.m., Morris Hall of the House Office Building.
— House State Affairs Committee, 9 a.m., Room 212 of the Knott Building.
— House Redistricting Committee, 1 p.m., Room 404 of the House Office Building.
— STATEWIDE —
“‘Sham’ or ‘opportunity’: What’s the state of state exams in Florida and what will lawmakers do?” via Danielle J. Brown of Florida Phoenix — Back in September, DeSantis announced a push to scrap Florida’s key state exams, claiming that a change to so-called “progress monitoring” would bring “less time for testing, which will mean more time for learning.” Legislation on the issue is now moving in the Florida Legislature. There would be three exams throughout the school year and then an “end-of-year comprehensive assessment of student progress administered in the spring of the school year.” Robert Schaeffer is the executive director of FairTest and doesn’t see how the proposed system equates to less testing.
“Attorney for activist Ben Frazier says client’s trespassing charge was dropped” via News4Jax — An email sent Monday night by attorney John Phillips, representing Frazier, a Jacksonville community activist, states that a misdemeanor trespassing charge his client was facing has been dismissed. Frazier, of the Northside Coalition, was arrested following a confrontation with members of DeSantis’ staff before a news conference by the Governor in Jacksonville. Frazier was removed from the building in handcuffs and arrested on the misdemeanor trespassing charge.
“Florida state archaeologist wins whistleblower status, reinstatement while she fights for job” via James Call of USA Today Network — A state archaeologist who said she was fired in a dispute over the use of grant money has won the first round in the fight to get her job back. Mary Glowacki filed suit in Leon County Circuit Civil court, alleging she was fired for disclosing the “gross mismanagement of public funds” by the Florida Public Archaeology Network (FPAN). Some of the questions she raised involved why money to study rising sea levels was used for Alfred B. Maclay Gardens State Park in Tallahassee, 60 miles from the Gulf of Mexico. Circuit Judge John Cooper granted whistleblower protection to Glowacki on Wednesday after a four-hour hearing.
“AARP announces new round of Community Challenge grants” via Christine Jordan Sexton of Florida Politics — AARP announced Tuesday it is accepting applications for the 2022 Community Challenge grant program. The quick-action grants are part of AARP’s Livable Communities initiative and support upgrades that can lead to long-term community changes. An AARP panel of experts in aging and community design reviews the applications with an eye on submissions that, if approved, make immediate alterations that can lead to permanent long-term changes to help residents age in place. Applications will be prioritized if they support communities’ efforts to create vibrant spaces or deliver transportation and mobility options that promote walkability, bikeability, and access to transportation.
“Film Florida says state has lost $1.5B in business since film program lapsed” via Drew Wilson of Florida Politics — Florida has missed out on more than $1.5 billion in film, television and digital media business since the state’s program to attract production companies expired, according to Film Florida. The top-line figure comes from the statewide trade association’s “Lost Business Map,” which was recently updated with another batch of “known lost opportunities.” The Film Florida map lists nearly 100 projects that would have used more than 250,000 hotel room nights and provided more than 125,000 cast and crew roles for Floridians. The update from Film Florida comes as lawmakers once again consider launching a new, state-backed program to attract the media production industry to the Sunshine State.
“FPL parent company NextEra names John Ketchum president and CEO, Jim Robo executive chair” via Florida Politics — Ketchum is taking over as president and CEO of NextEra Energy, Florida Power and Light’s parent company, in a succession plan announced by the organization. Robo, NextEra’s current chair and CEO, will become executive chair. And Eric Silagy, FPL president and CEO, will now serve as FPL’s chair as well. Ketchum is a former executive vice president of finance and CFO at FPL. As Robo moves on from the CEO position, he called it “an honor and a privilege” to serve in that role at NextEra.
Rest in peace — “‘He faithfully served’: Former Florida Comptroller Gerald Lewis dies at 87” via Bill Cotterell of the Tallahassee Democrat — Lewis, a former state Comptroller who rose to prominence in an era when Florida government was changing but lost his Cabinet post when it swung back the other way, has died at age 87. Lewis was a Miami lawyer, forming a firm with the late U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno. He was an Army paratrooper 1955-57 and served as a captain in the special forces in the Army Reserve and Florida National Guard 1960-69. During his tenure as comptroller, Lewis served a stint as chair of the National Conference of State Banking Supervisors and traveled internationally to encourage foreign banks to open offices in Florida. He also served as a state member of Miami’s Downtown Development Authority during his 20 years as Comptroller.
— CORONA FLORIDA —
“COVID-19 update: Florida reports 35,266 new cases; daily average down by half from its omicron peak” via David Schutz of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel — Florida reported 35,266 new COVID-19 cases as the number of patients in the hospital with the virus fell for the fourth straight day. The seven-day average for new cases rose slightly to 32,794 but remains near its lowest level since Dec. 28. The average is down just over 50% from its peak of 65,660 on Jan. 11. The number of patients in Florida hospitals with COVID-19 has been dropping for several days. On Monday, there were 11,075 patients with COVID-19, down from 11,119 on Sunday. There were 203 patients 18 or under in the hospital with COVID-19, down from 209 Sunday. Many hospitalized patients were admitted to the hospital for other reasons and tested positive later.
—”Publix, CVS, Walgreens and Walmart are offering COVID-19 pills in Florida. What to know” via Michelle Marchante of the Miami Herald
“Florida’s pandemic rental assistance program sees massive spike in payouts after slow start” via Daniel Figueroa of Florida Politics — OUR Florida, the state-run program built to distribute federally funded emergency rental assistance, has seen a massive spike in payouts after getting off to a slow start, according to the latest numbers from the Department of Children and Families (DCF). DCF Communications Director Mallory McManus said the state has distributed nearly 97% of available funds. ERAP is a $25 billion federal program that began last January after the passage of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021. The funds are meant to help families pay rent and utility bills as the nation still reels from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Why did state remove Orlando health director?” via the Tampa Bay Times editorial board — DeSantis’ campaign against vaccine mandates took a dark turn last week, as his administration removed Orange County’s public health chief for urging his employees to get the shot. Raul Pino, director of the Florida Department of Health in Orange County, emailed employees on Jan. 4. bemoaning the agency’s low vaccination rate. The Department of Health would not say why Pino was placed on administrative leave or who ordered the move. But a spokesperson suggested that the decision revolved around the state’s newly-passed law outlawing vaccine mandates.
— CORONA LOCAL —
“State Attorney backs police in ‘Sofia’ case, calls social media attacks ‘disturbing’” via Eric Rogers of Florida Today — State Attorney Phil Archer backed the results of a police investigation that cleared two Brevard County teachers of charges of child abuse in the case of Sofia Bezerra, a 7-year-old special needs student who came home from a school last October with a mask tied to her face. A review of the Indian Harbour Beach Police Department investigation was completed by Archer’s office with “no finding of criminal wrongdoing” against the two Brevard Public School employees, according to a news release posted to the state attorney’s website and social media accounts.
“Brevard County’s COVID-19 cases fall 31%; Florida cases down 30.9%” via Mike Stucka of USA Today Network — Florida reported far fewer coronavirus cases in the week ending Jan. 23, adding 282,520 new cases. That’s down 30.9% from the previous week’s tally of 408,841 new cases of the virus that causes COVID-19. Florida ranked 37th among the states where coronavirus was spreading the fastest on a per-person basis. In the latest week, coronavirus cases in the United States decreased 14.9% from the week before, with 4,770,122 cases reported. With 6.45% of the country’s population, Florida had 5.92% of the country’s cases in the last week. Across the country, 27 states had more cases in the latest week than they did the week before.
“Sarasota public schools end individual student contact-tracing for COVID-19” via The Sarasota Herald-Tribune — Sarasota County Schools students will no longer be subject to an individual contact-tracing process for COVID-19, as of Monday, Jan. 24. The decision to make the change was made along with the Florida Department of Health in Sarasota County. The school district and the DOH have agreed that elementary schools will notify families of a potential COVID-19 positive case related to their child based on the class schedule of the COVID-19 positive student.
“Record 1,014 Ocala/Marion students/employees test positive in one week” via Joe Callahan of the Ocala Star-Banner — The number of weekly COVID-19 cases in area schools hit a record for the second straight week, with 1,014 students and employees testing positive during the week ending Jan. 21. That number is 16.6% higher than the previous record of 870 for the week ending Jan. 14. Monday’s school report showed that 1,014 people tested positive for COVID-19 during the week ending Jan. 21.
“Five teachers booted from Jupiter school for refusing to wear masks” via Andrew Marra of The Palm Beach Post — Five teachers were sent home from Limestone Creek Elementary last week for refusing to wear masks on campus, a school district spokeswoman confirmed. The teachers were instructed to leave campus Thursday for violating the Palm Beach County School District’s mask policy, which requires all employees and visitors to wear facial coverings while indoors on campus. State law prohibits mask requirements for students. School district spokeswoman Claudia Shea said the teachers were sent home with pay on Thursday, the first day they refused to wear masks. The five teachers, who she declined to identify, are now the subject of a personnel investigation and could face disciplinary action.
—2022 —
“With some voters ‘ready to move on,’ Democrats search for new message on virus” via Trip Gabriel, Lisa Lerer and Jennifer Medina of The New York Times — Despite the deadly wave fueled by the omicron variant, Democratic officials are largely skipping mask mandates and are fighting to keep schools open, sometimes in opposition to health care workers and their traditional allies in teachers’ unions. The shift reflects a potential change in the nature of the threat now that millions of Americans are vaccinated, and omicron appears to be causing less serious disease. Now that vaccines have been proven effective, Americans have a lower tolerance for restrictions, strategists and elected officials said.
Spotted — DeSantis on Axios’ list of politicians who generate the most likes, comments and shares on social media. The Governor ranked fifth with an average of 1,200 interactions per article.
Nikki Fried calls for in-person summer camp funding — Agriculture Commissioner and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Fried urged DeSantis and lawmakers to send extra funding to school districts this year so they can hold free in-person summer learning camps to help children overcome learning loss. “We know our children learn best when they are in a classroom with their teachers. We know that many children have fallen behind in their academic achievements during this pandemic. And we also know that good ideas aren’t partisan,” Fried said. “That’s why I’m calling on Gov. DeSantis and the Florida Legislature to follow the lead of Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey and provide school districts with funding for similar free summer learning camp programs, allowing individual school districts and parents to decide what works best for their students.”
“Polk County elections supervisor: 63% of casino petitions rejected” via Gary White of The Lakeland Ledger — Polk County Supervisor of Elections Lori Edwards said her office has found problems with nearly two-thirds of the petitions so far submitted seeking to place the measure, titled Limited Authorization of Casino Gambling, on the ballot for November’s general election. Edwards said most of the petitions rejected by her staff have either contained names of voters not listed on the county’s rolls or have borne signatures not matching ones the office has on record for the listed voter. Election supervisors in several counties have reported a high volume of incorrect and potentially fraudulent submissions of petitions for the casino gambling initiative.
— CORONA NATION —
“Two COVID-19 Americas” via David Leonhardt of The New York Times — It seems obvious that older Americans should be more fearful of COVID-19 than younger Americans. Yet they’re not. That’s one of the striking findings from a new poll, a survey firm, has conducted for this newsletter: Old and young people express similar concern about their personal risk from COVID-19. By some measures, young people are actually more worried. The most plausible explanation for this pattern is political ideology. Many Democrats say they feel unsafe in their communities; are worried about getting sick from COVID-19. Republicans are less worried.
“Omicron infections lead to a smaller share of hospitalizations than delta, a CDC report finds.” via Benjamin Mueller of The New York Times — A smaller share of Americans with coronavirus cases have been admitted to hospitals during the surge of the omicron variant than during previous waves. The report added to heartening signs from other countries and certain health systems in the United States that omicron, while highly contagious, is causing less severe illness, a result of growing levels of immunity in the population, as well as omicron itself often triggering less serious symptoms. The CDC attributed the tendency of omicron cases to cause less severe illness to the virus itself, as well as growing levels of immunity from prior infections and the rollout of vaccinations.
“Omicron cases appear to peak in U.S., but deaths continue to rise” via Mitch Smith, Julie Bosman and Tracey Tully of The New York Times — New coronavirus cases have started to fall nationally, signaling that the omicron-fueled spike that has infected tens of millions of Americans, packed hospitals and shattered records has finally begun to relent. More and more states have passed a peak in new cases in recent days, as glimmers of progress have spread from a handful of eastern cities to much of the country. The country averaged about 720,000 new cases a day through Friday, down from about 807,000 last week. New coronavirus hospital admissions have leveled off.
“Omicron optimism and shift from pandemic to endemic” via Alvin Powell of The Harvard Gazette — With omicron’s surge peaking in some U.S. states, experts this week sounded a wary note of optimism that better times are weeks to months away, but they warn that prospects of an “end” are murky, with the likeliest scenario being one in which the virus shifts from pandemic to a more manageable endemic mode. Several experts said it’s likely that omicron’s high infectivity, coupled with vaccination and past infection, will result in some type of immunity to the virus becoming common around the globe. That could lead to a transition from the pandemic’s seemingly unending state of emergency to what will likely be a long, uncomfortable coexistence with SARS-CoV-2.
“Biden administration to withdraw COVID-19 vaccination and testing regulation aimed at large businesses” via Liz Stark of CNN — The Biden administration is withdrawing its COVID-19 vaccination and testing regulation aimed at large businesses, following the Supreme Court’s decision to block the rule earlier this month. OSHA said it will be withdrawing the vaccination and testing emergency temporary standards for businesses with 100 or more employees. “Although OSHA is withdrawing the vaccination and testing ETS as an enforceable emergency temporary standard, the agency is not withdrawing the ETS as a proposed rule. The agency is prioritizing its resources to focus on finalizing a permanent COVID-19 Healthcare Standard,” the statement read.
“COVID-19 booster drive is faltering in the U.S.” via Mae Anderson of The Associated Press — The COVID-19 booster drive in the U.S. is losing steam, worrying health experts who have pleaded with Americans to get an extra shot to shore up their protection against the highly contagious omicron variant. Just 40% of fully vaccinated Americans have received a booster dose. And the average number of booster shots dispensed per day in the U.S. has plummeted from a peak of 1 million in early December to about 490,000 as of last week. Also, a new poll found that Americans are more likely to see the initial vaccinations, rather than a booster, as essential. More than 13 months after it began, just 63% of Americans, or 210 million people, are fully vaccinated with the initial rounds of shots.
“‘Tired, burned out, frustrated’: Omicron surge hits nursing homes as vaccine mandate looms” via Ken Alltucker of USA Today — Data from the CDC show 41,511 COVID-19 cases among nursing home residents through the week ending Jan. 16, far above any week during last winter’s surge. Cases among nurses and other staffers doubled the previous peak in December 2020, straining already depleted staffing levels. The agency that oversees Medicare said nursing homes in 25 states must be fully vaccinated or have a qualifying medical or religious exemption by Feb. 28. For homes that don’t comply, state inspectors who conduct surveys could assess penalties such as requiring a plan of correction, civil fines or denying Medicare or Medicaid payments.
“Pfizer opens study of COVID-19 shots updated to match omicron” via The Associated Press — Pfizer has begun a study comparing its original COVID-19 vaccine with doses specially tweaked to match the hugely contagious omicron variant. COVID-19 vaccine makers have been updating their shots to better match omicron in case global health authorities decide the change is needed. The original vaccines still offer good protection against severe illness and death. Studies in the U.S. and elsewhere have made clear that adding a booster dose strengthens that protection and improves the chances of avoiding a milder infection.
— CORONA ECONOMICS —
“Why Medicare doesn’t pay for rapid at-home COVID-19 tests” via Michelle Andrews of KHN — As of Jan. 15, private insurers will cover the cost of eight at-home rapid COVID-19 tests each month for their members for as long as the public health emergency lasts. Finding the tests will be hard enough, but Medicare beneficiaries face an even bigger hurdle: The administration’s new rule doesn’t apply to them. It turns out that the laws governing traditional Medicare don’t provide for coverage of self-administered diagnostic tests, which is precisely what the rapid antigen tests are and why they are an important tool for containing the pandemic.
— MORE CORONA —
“There’s a new version of omicron, but so far it doesn’t appear to be more dangerous” via Lenny Bernstein of The Washington Post — As a new version of the highly contagious omicron variant of the coronavirus spreads in parts of Asia and Europe, the WHO recommended officials begin investigating its characteristics to determine whether it poses new challenges for pandemic-weary nations. Known as BA. 2, the new version of the virus is a descendant of the omicron variant responsible for huge surges of COVID-19 in the United States and elsewhere around the globe. Virologists are referring to the original omicron variant as BA. 1. Viruses constantly mutate, mostly in harmless ways. There is no current evidence that BA. 2 is more virulent, spreads faster, or escapes immunity better than BA. 1.
“GOP say Democrats’ virus drug guidance is anti-White” via Alice Miranda Ollstein and Megan Messerly of POLITICO — Republicans are accusing the Biden administration of racism — against White people. The administration’s recommendation that race and ethnicity be considered when deciding who gets the limited supply of new COVID-19 drugs is the latest political cudgel with which Republicans are hammering Democrats, looking to energize their base ahead of the midterm elections. Democratic strategists say these attacks, while baseless, may prove effective, further hampering the party’s efforts to retain its slim congressional majorities. The issue is gaining steam in both the establishment and MAGA activist wings of the party.
This blurb is brought to you by Caymus Vineyards — “Red wine could reduce chances of COVID-19 infection, U.K. study suggests” via Catherine Stoddard of Fox News — A recent study from the United Kingdom found certain types of alcohol could impact how susceptible a person is to getting COVID-19. The study found that people who drank red wine, white wine and champagne were less likely to get COVID-19, while those who consumed beer, cider, and spirits in heavy amounts were more likely to become sick. “Our study suggests that subjects who usually consumed red wine and white wine and champagne above guidelines, and sometimes consumed 1—2 glasses/week fortified within the guidelines appear to have chances to reduce the risk of COVID-19,” the study said.
— PRESIDENTIAL —
“The polling hits keep coming for Biden” via Aaron Blake of The Washington Post — The latest Fox poll shows 47% of people continue to approve of Biden’s performance as President, but significantly fewer than that say they would either definitely or probably vote to re-elect him. Just 36% say that, while 6 in 10 say they at least lean against voting for him in 2024. To be sure, Biden’s low “re-elect” is in large part about Democrats; just 48% say they would “definitely” vote to re-elect him. The latest Fox News poll shows just 6% of independents say they would definitely re-elect Biden.
“On STEM, give Biden credit for his efforts to repair the national reputation that Donald Trump trashed” via Catherine Rampell of The Washington Post — Trump trashed this country’s reputation as a desirable destination for the world’s science, tech and entrepreneurial talent. Biden deserves credit for his recent attempts to repair it. Last week, the White House announced some initial steps to make it easier for STEM-trained immigrants to come to or stay in the United States. Some were basic “housekeeping”-type changes. Another new policy encourages more private-sector businesses to hire STEM researchers as exchange visitors.
— D.C. MATTERS —
“South Florida Republicans propose new State Department position to combat communism” via Bryan Lowry of the Miami Herald — Three South Florida Republicans introduced legislation Tuesday to establish a new State Department position that would be tasked with combating communism and authoritarianism. The proposed “Special Envoy to Combat Global Rise of Authoritarian Socialism and Communism” would be modeled after a similar State Department ambassador-level position created in 2004 to combat global anti-Semitism. The legislation was led by Rep. Carlos Giménez, a former Miami-Dade Mayor born in Cuba and whose family immigrated to the U.S. in 1960 after the Cuban Revolution. Gimenez was joined by fellow Reps. Mario Diaz-Balart and Maria Elvira Salazar, both raised by parents who had fled Cuba.
“Matt Gaetz says sex trafficking accusations are government ‘operation’ against him, GOP” via Daniel Villareal of Newsweek — Gaetz made his comment about the investigations while speaking on a recent installment of War Room, the show hosted by Steve Bannon, the former White House Chief Strategist under Trump. Gaetz told Bannon he was the target of a “cut-out,” a government-directed action taken against an individual or group. He said cut-outs had been taken against Trump in the form of investigations examining his alleged collusion with Russia in the 2016 elections, as well as the impeachment proceedings against Trump following his July 25, 2019, phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
— CRISIS —
“What the Trump documents might tell the Jan. 6 committee” via Luke Broadwater, Alan Feuer, Nick Corasaniti and Michael S. Schmidt of The New York Times — The National Archives has turned over to the House select committee investigating the assault on the Capitol last Jan. 6 a large batch of documents that Trump had sought to keep out of the panel’s hands, citing executive privilege. It remains unclear how valuable the documents, at least 770 pages, will be to the investigation.
“Judge presses ahead with April trial for several Oath Keepers” via Josh Gerstein and Kyle Cheney of POLITICO — Judge Amit Mehta set an April 19 court date for a subset of the 22 Oath Keepers charged with a sweeping conspiracy to obstruct the transfer of presidential power from Trump to Biden. Mehta said he expected the first trial to include defendants who haven’t been detained and are facing obstruction charges, rather than those who were recently charged with seditious conspiracy and might take more time to build their defenses. Although defense lawyers said they were facing a mountain of videos, smartphone downloads and other evidence that is challenging to review, Mehta said he believed that most of the evidence directly relevant to most of the Oath Keeper defendants had been turned over some time ago.
— EPILOGUE TRUMP —
“Trump leads 2024 Republican field with DeSantis in distant second” via Max Greenwood of The Hill — DeSantis is an early favorite for the nomination in the event Trump doesn’t run again, according to a Harvard CAPS/Harris Poll. In a hypothetical eight-person GOP presidential primary, Trump holds a clear edge, garnering 57% support among Republican voters. DeSantis and former Vice President Mike Pence are nearly deadlocked at 12% and 11%, respectively. No other would-be candidate registers double-digit support. Should Trump forgo another campaign for the White House, however, DeSantis would supplant him as the front-runner. The Florida Governor scores 30% support in a field that doesn’t include Trump, while Pence takes second place at 24%.
“In Miami, Trump proposes luxury condos and hotels. This time, without his name” via Douglas Hanks of the Miami Herald — The new Doral real estate venture launched by Trump includes the traditional trappings of his promotional playbook. But as described in an application to the city’s planning department, the proposed “Doral International Towers” complex lacks one mainstay of the celebrity mogul’s real estate ventures: the use of “Trump” in the name. The proposed Doral project fronting Northwest 87th Avenue and 36th Street may offer a case study in Trump’s branding strategy after his first Presidential term.
—LOCAL NOTES —
“Circuit judge rejects Chris Dorworth’s River Cross lawsuit against Seminole County” via Martin E. Comas of the Orlando Sentinel — In a setback to Dorworth’s plans to build his River Cross mega-development, a circuit court judge ruled Monday that Seminole’s charter amendment that established the county’s protected rural area is constitutional. Seminole Commissioners have the authority to reject a developer’s request to carve out property from the county’s voter-approved rural boundary for development beyond the current density of one home per 5 acres, according to Circuit Judge Randell Rowe’s ruling. Dorworth said he was disappointed by the ruling. And he said he plans to appeal.
“Miami school district hires Jose Dotres as superintendent” via Sommer Brugal of the Miami Herald — The School Board voted 6-3 to appoint Dotres after a more than eight-hour meeting and interviewing the top three candidates. Dotres will replace Superintendent Alberto Carvalho, who is leaving Miami on Feb. 3 to lead the Los Angeles Unified School District. “It truly is an honor,” Dotres told board members after the vote. “I get to come back to work with incredible professionals. My greatest desire is that we work closely together for the benefit of this entire school district.” Board members Marta Pérez, Christi Fraga, and Lubby Navarro voted for Jacob Oliva, the Florida Department of Education senior chancellor.
“Ocean Drive reopens to cars, sparking concerns about bicycle and pedestrian safety” via Martin Vassolo of the Miami Herald — After being closed to cars for nearly two years, world-famous Ocean Drive in South Beach reopened to traffic on Monday, as the city ended a COVID-19-era pilot program that closed the road to give more space to pedestrians, bicyclists and expanded outdoor restaurant seating. Drivers can now travel along one southbound lane from 13th to Fifth streets, with valet parking set up on the west side of Ocean Drive. A new two-way bicycle lane, painted green, is on the east side. Pedestrians, who have officially been relegated to the sidewalk, can still walk freely on Ocean Drive between 13th Street and 14th Place.
“Florida’s west coast cities top WSJ/Realtor.com’s housing index” via Nicole Friedman and Inti Pacheco of The Wall Street Journal — Cities on Florida’s west coast climbed to the top of The Wall Street Journal/Realtor.com Emerging Housing Markets Index, boosted by the growth of remote work and warm weather in the Sunshine State. Naples, Florida, was the top-ranked market for the quarter, followed by North Port, Florida; Kahului, Hawaii; San Luis Obispo, California; and San Jose, California. Three other Florida markets, Cape Coral, Punta Gorda, and Sebastian, a city on the state’s east coast, also made the Top 20.
“Amazon announces a second site for Pasco, this one featuring robotic sorting” via Barbara Behrendt of the Tampa Bay Times — Online shopping giant Amazon will build a new distribution site in Pasco County that will feature a unique and extensive robotics system, Bill Cronin, president and CEO of the Pasco Economic Development Council, announced to county commissioners. The company will soon begin construction on a $150 million, 517,220-square-foot facility on State Road 52 at Bellamy Brothers Boulevard. It will provide 500 new jobs. Construction is expected to take just less than a year. The center’s robotics features will bring high-quality jobs for people who can work with them because of their technical skills.
“Hillsborough County Schools leaders request flexibility with the state amid COVID-19 challenges” via Tampa Bay 10 — In a letter to Florida’s education commissioner, Hillsborough County Public Schools leaders are requesting the state to once again allow schools to opt-in to “A to F” grades for the latest academic year. District leaders say there has been a more than 10% increase of students with 10 days or more missed during the 2021-22 school year compared to the previous year. ” … This year should not be about sanctioning schools according to the state accountability rules. Instead, it must center on using student performance information to support further building the capacity of all learnings through prescribed educational pathways,” the letter reads.
“Moms for Liberty says chapter Facebook groups unfairly censored in letter to Mark Zuckerberg” via Bailey Gallion of Florida Today — Founders of conservative group Moms for Liberty accused Facebook of censoring some of the group’s social media pages in an open letter to Zuckerberg. Tina Descovich and Tiffany Justice, co-founders of Moms for Liberty, wrote that 22 of Moms for Liberty’s chapter groups around the nation have had their Facebook pages disabled in recent weeks after receiving notifications of community violations. Justice is a former Indian River County School Board member and Descovich is a former Brevard County School Board member. Moms for Liberty has gained national attention for its members’ protests and remarks at school board meetings over topics such as COVID-19 restrictions, critical race theory and LGBTQ issues.
“New executive editor named for Naples Daily News” via Laura Layden of the Naples Daily News — Wendy Fullerton Powell will take on a new role leading local journalism in Southwest Florida as executive editor of Gannett’s Naples Daily News. Her new title and responsibilities will begin after the departure of Penny Fisher, who has served as news director of the Daily News for the past 4½ years. Fisher, 40, will leave her post at the end of the month after deciding to explore new opportunities beyond the daily newspaper that brought her from the hills of southern Indiana to the beaches of Southwest Florida in 2007.
“Ave Maria University names Catholic digital, print publisher Mark Middendorf as President” via Harriet Howard Heithaus of the Naples Daily News — Ave Maria University has named its fourth president. Mark Middendorf, who most recently served as executive vice president for mission expansion at the Augustine Institute in Colorado, joins the private liberal arts Catholic university in central Collier County on Feb. 1. The school’s board of trustees announced the move Friday. Board Chairman Patrick Rainey pointed to Middendorf’s strengths as a leader known for “his energetic and innovative leadership in Catholic lay apostolates.”
— TOP OPINION —
“Give parents, students a ‘bill of rights’ to assure education access, quality and transparency” via Jeb Bush for the Miami Herald — No longer are we advancing the singular purpose of education: To give every child the skills and knowledge to unlock their potential. Governors and state policymakers should enact a student and parents “bill of rights” that secures their right to access, quality and transparency. The power over our public schools is held by a select few who have a vested interest in maintaining the status quo. Little to no power is in the hands of the constituents themselves.
— OPINIONS —
“Time to take budget surplus and do one-time dedication to infrastructure” via Henry Mayfield for the Fort Myers News-Press — Florida grew by nearly 330,000 residents in a one-year span between April 2020 and April 2021. This continued growth is due in large part to our state’s leadership, who have managed the pandemic in a way that has allowed our state to stay open and on a path of advancing and progressing. Investing in our infrastructure now with a one-time appropriation will allow us to catch up on investments and projects that were deferred and get ahead of the growth that we’re continuing to see. We need to continue to look ahead when it comes to our infrastructure. Florida is in a great position to make a one-time appropriation to state infrastructure, and we hope that Florida lawmakers act on it this Session.
“Judge rightly slams UF for censoring professors’ speech” via the South Florida Sun-Sentinel editorial board — The University of Florida could not have deserved or suffered a greater embarrassment than the 74-page rebuke from U.S. District Judge Mark Walker over its attempts to bar professors from contradicting the ruling political party in this state. Walker compared that situation with how the University of Hong Kong, fearful of its new masters in Beijing, last month removed a statue, known as the Pillar of Shame, commemorating the pro-democracy demonstrators who were slain at China’s Tiananmen Square in 1989. His sharpest put-down was in a footnote. “If those in UF’s administration find this comparison upsetting, the solution is simple. Stop acting like your contemporaries in Hong Kong.
“Florida shouldn’t turn its back on refugee children” via Thomas Wenski for the South Florida Sun-Sentinel — Sixty years ago, parents did the unthinkable, they sent their children alone and unaccompanied to the United States. They were desperate and 60 years later, their homeland, their beloved Cuba, is still not free; 60 years later we know that their fears were not misplaced. Today these young people are coming mainly from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. Now, DeSantis is trying to stop all federal programs in Florida that serve these unaccompanied kids as well as services to Cubans. DeSantis’s executive order 21-223 is wrong, and the Legislature would be wrong to compound his error with legislation (Senate Bill 1808 and House Bill 1355) proposed by state Sen. Bean and state Rep. John Snyder.
“The surgical suite is no place for so-called ‘collaboration’” via Leopoldo Rodriguez for Florida Politics — There are times when a patient takes an immediate and unexpected turn for the worse in a matter of seconds, and it is during those critical moments that lifesaving decisions must be made in the blink of an eye. The good news is that current Florida law ensures that a physician must supervise all anesthesia services. Publicists for Florida’s nurse association are claiming Florida law should be changed to allow for “a collaboration model” and that the more highly trained physician anesthesiologist should be forced to “collaborate” with the nurse on duty — even to the point where there doesn’t even have to be a physician on-site. As it stands, Florida already has a good law that has been proven time and time again to be the safest, and the physician-led care model for anesthesia also saves our state precious health care dollars.
“Now is the time to expand nursing education programs” via Dr. Tonjua Williams and Dr. Angela Falconetti for Florida Politics — Last summer the Florida Healthcare Association commissioned a report which painted a bleak picture, projecting that 14 years from now our state will lack 59,100 nurses. Our colleges must be able to recruit and retain qualified faculty by raising faculty salaries. Our facilities need students to be learning in the high-tech environment used in today’s health care environment. In partnership with hospitals and medical facilities, colleges are reimagining the clinical experience, structure, and locations to increase program enrollment. The Florida College System Council of Presidents is working with our state’s elected leaders and have requested $60 million in program funding this Legislative Session. The requested funding is only one step in the direction of responding to Florida’s need for health care workers and for essential workforce programs.
— TODAY’S SUNRISE —
DeSantis takes aim at the Biden administration and the FDA for yanking monoclonal antibody treatments. The White House says they don’t work against the omicron variant. DeSantis says that’s bad science.
Also on today’s Sunrise:
The House Speaker says based on how many people are telling him the redistricting process is going too slow or too fast, he figures it must be right on pace.
An immigrant organization says the “midnight” migrant flights are just routine.
And a legislator goes “old-school” with a handwritten amendment.
To listen, click on the image below:
— ALOE —
“University of Florida, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical tie for best online bachelor’s programs in U.S.” via Ryan Nicol of Florida Politics — New rankings from U.S. News & World Report detailing the nation’s top online bachelor’s degree programs place the University of Florida (UF) and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in a tie atop the list. UF and Embry-Riddle are both based in Florida, with Embry-Riddle’s main campus sitting in Daytona Beach. Joe Glover, UF’s provost and senior vice president of academic affairs, released a statement Tuesday celebrating UF’s place atop the rankings. Taking classes online has, of course, been a staple for nearly two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In last year’s rankings of online bachelor’s programs, UF ranked third in the U.S.
“U.S. protection sought for threatened Florida ghost orchid” via The Associated Press — The rare ghost orchid faces mounting threats in Florida from poaching, loss of habitat and climate change and needs federal protection, environmental groups said. A petition filed with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service asks that the orchid be placed under the Endangered Species Act and its habitat in southern Florida be officially designated as critical to its recovery. The petition was submitted by The Institute for Regional Conservation, the Center for Biological Diversity and the National Parks Conservation Association. The groups estimate about 1,500 ghost orchids in Florida, where they have declined by 30% to 50%.
What Stephanie Cardozo and Amanda Taylor are reading — “Florida State Fair reveals lineup of weird and wild new foods” via Sharon Kennedy Wynne of the Tampa Bay Times — The Florida State Fair is famous (or maybe infamous) for introducing fair food ideas and mashups because it’s the first state fair in the country, thanks to Florida’s balmy weather. That lets vendors test out the audience for things like deep-fried butter and a Buffalo chicken sundae. It was the first to use a doughnut as a bun for a hamburger and feature the Flaming Hot Cheetos Funnel Cake. When the fair opens Feb. 10-21, expect a hot dog encased in a doughnut and a funnel cake that holds taco fixings.
“Florida and the Bandit: Burt Reynolds legacy lives on at car restoration shop” via Jesse Mendoza of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune — At 9 years old, Gene Kennedy went with his father to catch the new 1977 hit film Star Wars at the Century Mall Theater in St. Petersburg, but the line was too long, and they saw Smokey and the Bandit instead. Kennedy and Burt Reynolds met nearly 35 years later, and their friendship led to Bandit Movie Cars in Palmetto. Kennedy buys and restores Hollywood movie cars that have been on screen, or recreates them from like models, often for auction or independent clients. In 2014, Kennedy and the Bandit did track down the car used by Universal Pictures to promote the film, and in January 2016, they auctioned it off for a record-breaking $550,000 at the Barrett Jackson Scottsdale Auction. Kennedy also has the Blues Brothers 1974 Dodge Monaco and recently finished a rebuild of Cousin Eddie’s RV from Christmas Vacation.
“Pegasus Day: America’s two best racehorses (and Ja Rule) share center stage at Gulfstream” via Mike Seely of the Miami New Times — It just so happens that a 6-year-old horse named Knicks Go is vying to defend his title in the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational at Gulfstream Park this Saturday, January 29. But Knicks Go, who established himself as the best racehorse in the land by virtue of his easy victory in November’s Breeders’ Cup Classic at Del Mar, is not what he seems. Those more inclined to the social element of Pegasus Day will be edified to note that Ja Rule will be performing alongside Lil Kim and Mase at Gulfstream’s Carousel Club on Saturday.
— HAPPY BIRTHDAY —
Best wishes to classy lady Claudia Davant, owner of Adams Street Advocates. Also celebrating today are smart guy Mark Sharpe, as well as former Clearwater Mayor George Cretekos, Jason Roth, Dave Royse, and Vinny Tafuro.
___
Sunburn is authored and assembled by Peter Schorsch, Phil Ammann, Daniel Dean, Renzo Downey, Jacob Ogles, and Drew Wilson.
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🐪 Good Wednesday morning. Smart Brevity™ count: 1,191 words … 4½ minutes. Edited by Zachary Basu.
⚡ Situational awareness: A second NYPD officer died after being shot in Harlem. Officer Wilbert Mora, 27, died four days after he and Officer Jason Rivera, 22, were shot responding to a domestic disturbance. Get the latest.
The four-day workweek is nowhere close to becoming the norm, despite a flurry of media coverage and intense interest from worker bees worldwide, Emily Peck writes for Axios Markets.
- Why it matters: With the pandemic throwing work-family dynamics into chaos, professionals burning out and the labor market favoring employees, there’s demand for experiments.
In a bid to attract talent, tech startup Bolt and Japan-based Panasonic recently announced four-day weeks.
- Starting in April, 35 companies in the U.S. and Canada, including Kickstarter, a few nonprofits and an RV manufacturer, will test shorter weeks with help from 4 Day Week Global, a nonprofit founded in New Zealand in 2018.
Reality check: Each time a company does this, it gets a lot of attention — but overall, the needle isn’t moving.
- In January, there were just 1,700 job postings advertising four-day work weeks for every million listed on Indeed.com.
- “There are not a lot of clients looking to do this,” Bill Schaninger, senior partner at McKinsey, tells Axios.
How it works: The idea is to work fewer hours, for the same amount of money, without losing productivity — making everyone happier. (Like in Iceland!)
- Remote work makes this more possible. Whereas socializing in-office had benefits and could be fun, let’s be real: Zoom yoga sessions and happy hours are lame.
- Companies pulling this off say the key is fewer meetings, less email and Slack — and more shared work schedules on Trello and Airtable.
👀 Trend to watch: Other firms are simply offering more days off. Twitter is doing a “day of rest” every month.
💰 Sign up for Axios Markets.
While inflation and jobs dominate headlines, a big shift is taking place in the underpinnings of the world economy: The U.S. trade deficit is soaring, Axios chief economic correspondent Neil Irwin writes.
- Americans’ spending on imported physical goods has gone through the roof, while exports are growing slowly, making the U.S. the world’s consumer of last resort.
Why it matters: High trade deficits let us buy more stuff during the pandemic. The flip side is the higher U.S. government debt that helped fund the surge in spending — much of it held by overseas investors.
Through the first 11 months of 2021, Americans imported $290 billion more in goods than in the same period of 2019.
- Meanwhile, exports of goods rose slowly — up only $86 billion. Exports of services plunged as international travel collapsed.
- The result: An overall trade deficit 48% higher than 2019, and on track for a record (by dollar amount) for 2021.
Flashback: President Trump made reducing the trade deficit a central goal, with limited results.
Read more from Neil in tomorrow’s issue of the weekly Axios Capital.
U.S. commercial-property sales totaled a record $809 billion in 2021 — nearly double 2020’s total, and shattering the previous record of $600 billion in 2019, The Wall Street Journal reports (subscription).
- Why it matters: Investors are seizing on ways the “pandemic is reordering how Americans live, work and play.”
“Real-estate buyers loaded up on warehouses, which serve as fulfillment centers for the e-commerce boom,” The Journal explains.
- “They bought apartment buildings to capitalize on record high rents. They paid up for resorts and vacation-oriented hotels that benefited from the resurgence in travel to leisure destinations.”
Hot spots: Florida, Austin and other Sun Belt locations.
- Manhattan, usually topping the sales list, was 9th last year.
Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
Amid a nationwide nursing shortage and burnout crisis, tech companies say they could be part of the solution by allowing nurses to essentially join the gig economy, Axios health care editor Tina Reed writes.
- Why it matters: Demand is accelerating for tools to help hospitals more efficiently fill shifts and offer exhausted workers more flexibility.
Lots of money is flowing into these models:
- Nurse staffing app connectRN raised $76 million in VC cash last month, and TrustedHealth raised $149 million in November.
- Last year, ShiftMed raised $45 million, Nomad netted $63 million and CareRev completed a $50 million Series A funding round.
GM is making the largest investment in company history in its home state of Michigan, with plans to spend $7 billion to convert a factory to make electric pickups and to build a new battery cell plant, AP reports.
- Why it matters: GM is rolling the dice on Americans converting from internal combustion engines to battery power.
The moves — announced yesterday in Lansing, the state capital — will create up to 4,000 jobs, and keep another 1,000 already employed at an underutilized assembly plant north of Detroit.
- CEO Mary Barra said the investment will make Michigan “the epicenter of the electric vehicle industry.”
Third Way, the center-left think tank, is urging fellow Democrats to respond to the Capitol riot with “the size, scope, and seriousness of a presidential campaign,” co-founder Matt Bennett tells me.
- “For the first time in U.S. history, a party must mount two parallel presidential campaigns: one to win the election, and the other to prevent its theft,” Bennett said, calling this “a Paul Revere moment.”
Why it matters: Democrats are offering “democracy protection candidates” in this year’s midterms as a counterpoint to the GOP’s “election integrity” push.
In a blueprint shared first with Axios, Third Way calls on Dems to “do all we can to find and defend nonpartisan election workers.”
- “We must provide them with physical protection (from law enforcement and others) if they are threatened or harassed,” the group says. “We must offer legal representation.”
Go deeper: “There have been a lot of long-form magazine and academic pieces on the threat to our democracy,” Bennett adds. “We wanted to lay out a cohesive story in an easy-to-follow format. Our model was Al Gore’s ‘Inconvenient Truth,’ albeit without the subsequent Nobel Prize or Oscar.”
Photo illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios. Photos: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images, Christian Torres/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Most Haitian migrants enter the U.S. by land. But a growing number are attempting the dangerous trip by sea, “Axios Today” podcast host Niala Boodhoo and producer Nuria Marquez Martinez report from Miami.
- In the past three months, three large boats with Haitian migrants landed in Key Largo, Fla. It’s the first time in over two years that boats have evaded the Coast Guard.
- The most recent was a 60-foot vessel crammed with 176 people — with no lifesaving equipment or navigational lights.
The big picture: The U.S.-Mexico border gets the attention, but South Florida has been its own border town for decades.
- Listen here to hear what advocates have to say to President Biden.
Drone’s-eye view of a municipal basketball court in Balaguer, Spain — painted in tribute to the late basketball legend Kobe Bryant.
📬 Was my email forwarded to you? Join the conversation: Sign up here for your own personal copy of Axios AM and Axios PM.
14.) THE WASHINGTON FREE BEACON
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15.) THE WASHINGTON POST MORNING HEADLINES
16.) THE WASHINGTON TIMES
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17.) THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
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18.) ASSOCIATED PRESS
19.) FORT MYERS (FLORIDA) NEWS-PRESS
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20.) CHICAGO TRIBUNE
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21.) CHICAGO SUNTIMES
Top GOP donors pony up for Richard Irvin in governor’s race
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22.) THE HILL MORNING REPORT
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23.) THE HILL 12:30 REPORT
24.) ROLL CALL
Morning Headlines
At first blush, Reps. Joe Wilson and Dan Kildee don’t seem to have much in common, but their chiefs of staff say the two offices are more alike than not. That realization is one of the reasons Jonathan Day and Mitchell Rivard decided to run to lead the House Chiefs of Staff Association, together. Read more…
Lawmakers are expected to resume negotiations when they return to Washington next week around a sanctions bill they hope will help convince Russian President Vladimir Putin not to order another invasion of Ukraine. But the White House may act first. Read more…
New Democratic strategy: Repackage the BBB and expect a different result
OPINION — The White House and Democratic Hill leaders seem to have a new strategy centered on breaking up Build Back Better, repackaging it, renaming it, relaunching it piece by piece and expecting a different outcome. But the electorate will recognize it for what it is — again. Read more…
Click here to subscribe to Fintech Beat for the latest market and regulatory developmentsin finance and financial technology.
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Rep. Jim Langevin was an intern in the ’80s. Here’s what’s changed on the Hill since then
As he gets ready to retire at the end of 2022, Rep. Jim Langevin says encouraging a new generation of students is among the legacies he wants to leave — much like the late Sen. Claiborne Pell, his former boss who transformed the federal financial aid program that now bears his name. Read more…
Tennessee’s Cooper decides to retire after map divides Nashville
Democrat Rep. Jim Cooper, who has served in the House for more than 32 years, announced his retirement Tuesday, hours after GOP lawmakers in Tennessee approved a redistricting plan that carves up his Nashville-area district. Cooper is the 29th House Democrat to announce plans to retire or seek another office at the end of the year. Read more…
Charities lobbying to restore expanded tax deduction for giving
Nonprofits are urging lawmakers to restore more generous tax breaks for charitable giving as they consider a fresh round of pandemic aid with the omicron variant caseload still at worrying levels. Temporary expansions meant to help charities stay afloat during the COVID-19 crisis expired at the end of 2021. Read more…
Thirteen percent of congressional staffers make less than a living wage, report shows
About 1 in 8 congressional staffers are not making a living wage, according to a new analysis of payroll data. The problem is particularly acute for staff assistants, who are often the most junior staffers in congressional offices, according to Issue One, a “crosspartisan” group that advocates for transparency in politics. Read more…
Living paycheck to paycheck a reality for some Hill staffers, survey finds
The struggle to make ends meet as a congressional staffer is D.C.’s worst-kept secret, but for some it means going into the red, according to a recent survey. Thirty-nine percent of the 516 staffers who took the Congressional Progressive Staff Association survey said they’ve taken out loans to cover everyday living expenses. Read more…
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25.) POLITICO PLAYBOOK
POLITICO Playbook: Ominous signs for Ukraine
Presented by
DRIVING THE DAY
UKRAINE LATEST — Tuesday saw a flurry of activity in Washington, Moscow and Brussels, but little clarity as to whether Europe was closer to a war — one that President JOE BIDEN warned would be “the largest invasion since World War II” and “would change the world.”
Let’s start with this bit of reconnaissance about the latest Russian military moves deep in WaPo’s Ukraine ledeall:
“Analysts from the Conflict Intelligence Team, an independent Russian open-source investigative outfit that monitors Russia’s military, reported Tuesday the first confirmed video of Russian paratroopers moving closer to Ukraine, calling the development ‘ominous’ because it follows the movement of Russian military groups into Belarus, north of Kyiv.” More from their Twitter feed
Other ominous signs:
—WaPo: Russia announced new military exercises “involving thousands of troops, tanks, elite paratroopers and short-range ballistic missiles” that “are intended to project strength, keep Moscow’s foes off balance and intensify pressure on NATO and Ukraine …
“The Russian Defense Ministry also announced the arrival of Pacific Fleet forces in Belarus ahead of a major military exercise with that country next month, further fueling Western alarm over a possible invasion of Ukraine.”
— Biden, speaking to reporters, elaborated on recently announced plans to boost defenses of NATO countries in Eastern Europe: “I may be moving some of those troops in the nearer term, just because it takes time.”
— In Moscow, President VLADIMIR PUTIN’s longtime spokesman, DMITRY PESKOV, said putting those NATO troops on high alert was “building up tension” and that Russia was “observing these actions of the United States with profound concern.”
— Outside Kyiv, KRISTINA KVIEN, America’s top official in the country, posed alongside a shipment of U.S.-made missiles and other weaponry and declared, “Let me underscore that Russian soldiers sent to Ukraine at the behest of the Kremlin will face fierce resistance. The losses to Russia will be heavy.”
— In Brussels, our colleagues David Herszenhorn and Lili Bayer report that despite White House efforts to paper over differences this week, there is still no consensus among European diplomats about what would trigger the “sanctions with massive consequences” that Biden officials have threatened:
“Establishing clear parameters for imposing sanctions on Russia, which diplomats say would be the most hard-hitting penalties ever imposed, is especially challenging given Russia’s extensive capabilities to carry out military or hybrid strikes, including cyberattacks. Many analysts say that a conventional land invasion is only one option, and perhaps not the most likely scenario.”
— Meanwhile, the White House briefed reporters on two new plans to discourage Putin from an attack. The details were vague, but the Biden administration is threatening to choke off Russia’s ability to import “sophisticated technologies that we design and produce that are essential inputs to Russia’s strategic ambitions,” in areas such as “artificial intelligence or quantum computing, or defense, or aerospace.”
Officials also said they are working to mitigate the effects of Russia responding to sanctions by shutting down its natural gas supplies to Europe. The administration’s goal is to ease the concerns of countries like Germany, which relies heavily on Russia-supplied energy. Judge for yourself if this plan, described by a senior administration official, sounds fully baked:
“We’ve been working to identify additional volumes of non-Russian natural gas from various areas of the world — from North Africa and the Middle East to Asia and the United States.
“Correspondingly, we’re in discussions with major natural gas producers around the globe to understand their capacity and willingness to temporarily surge natural gas output and to allocate these volumes to European buyers.” More on the plan from NYT’s David Sanger
What do experts think of Biden’s latest moves?
“The administration is clearly beginning to move from a reactive to a proactive mode. That is a good thing,” KURT VOLKER, a former U.S. ambassador to NATO, told Playbook. But, he added, “deployments to reassure NATO countries, while important, still do not do much for Ukraine. And of course U.S. forces are ‘on alert’ but not yet deployed. We have a short window to convince Putin that the costs of a new invasion are too high for Russia. So far, I don’t think he is convinced.”
EVELYN FARKAS, who was BARACK OBAMA’s deputy assistant secretary of Defense for Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia, told us: “I am heartened by the announcements about the troop deployments, the export control sanctions and the behind the scenes conversations about eliminating the Russian energy blackmail card (finding other ways to provide natural gas to Europe).
“I am worried about the timeline, because Putin will not want to upset [Chinese] President XI [JINPING] by launching an invasion during the Olympics, which means he either has to move before Feb. 4 or thereafter … I am more worried about this coming week.
“Having said that, the administration and the allies have taken a lot of strong moves and if they keep showing firmness, resolve and maybe some creativity and proactiveness (like Finland joins NATO), Putin may choose the diplomatic path. We can’t rule out the diplomatic path entirely — although I put 80% chances on a military move.”
Related reads: “Talks in Paris aim to resolve the crisis over Ukraine, as U.S. steps up arms shipments to Kyiv,” WaPo … “Ukraine ‘will not accept’ concessions to Russia, Foreign Minister says,” CNN
Good Wednesday morning, and thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza, Tara Palmeri.
SURVEY SAYS — It’s bad news/mildly good news for Biden 2024 in the latest weekly POLITICO/Morning Consult poll. First the bad: If the election were held today, Biden would lose badly to a generic Republican, 46% to 37%. The unnamed Republican candidate would carry 41% of independent voters, vs. just 21% for Biden.
But since Biden will be running against an actual person, we asked about some of his most likely opponents. Biden fares better in head-to-head matchups against DONALD TRUMP, MIKE PENCE, RON DESANTIS and TED CRUZ, tying or edging out each of them:
Meanwhile, 49% of Republican and Republican-leaning voters chose the former president as their top pick in a potential GOP primary. That doesn’t look great for Trump, but he still easily outpaces the field: In second place was DeSantis at 14%, followed by Pence at 13%. Take Trump out of the running and no other potential candidate got anywhere near half the vote. DeSantis leads the pack with 25%, followed by DONALD TRUMP JR. with 24% and Pence with 12%. Toplines … Crosstabs
BIDEN’S WEDNESDAY:
— 10:15 a.m.: The president and VP KAMALA HARRIS will receive the President’s Daily Brief.
— 1 p.m.: Biden will meet with private-sector CEOs to discuss his Build Back Better agenda.
— 3:30 p.m.: Biden will sign an executive order to make sexual harassment an offense in the Uniform Code of Military Justice and to strengthen the military’s response to domestic violence and the wrongful broadcast or distribution of intimate visual images.
The White House Covid-19 response team and public health officials will brief at 11 a.m. Press secretary JEN PSAKI will brief at 2 p.m.
THE HOUSE and THE SENATE are out.
PHOTO OF THE DAY
PLAYBOOK READS
THE WHITE HOUSE
BUSTING OUT OF THE D.C. BUBBLE — As the VP looks to start her second year in office on a different foot, Chris Cadelago and Eugene report on how Harris, her aides and her allies are eager for her to get outside the D.C. bubble to reintroduce herself and her policy portfolio to the country.
As Harris’ new comms director JAMAL SIMMONS put it: “‘The first year was spent passing a lot of things, getting a lot of business done that American people needed,’ Now, he said, Harris and Biden ’need to spend more time telling people about the benefits. And also connecting people who don’t live in Washington to this work so they understand how they benefit.’”
COMING UP — The president is set to meet the emir of Qatar, SHEIKH TAMIM BIN HAMAD AL THANI, on Monday, and the two plan to discuss “Middle East security, ensuring the stability of global energy supplies and the situation in Afghanistan,” AP reports. Also of note: “Qatar is one of the world’s larger suppliers of liquefied natural gas and is among countries that the U.S. is hoping could aid Europe should a Russian invasion of Ukraine lead to Moscow stemming the flow of energy.”
CONGRESS
HOUSE DEMS ROLL OUT COMPETITION BILL — House Democrats on Tuesday night unveiled a proposal to try to address supply-chain issues and boost American competition with China, the party’s answer to the supply-chain problem plaguing the nation. The proposal, called “America Competes,” is their version of the Senate’s bipartisan U.S. Innovation and Competition Act, a $200 billion package aimed at boosting manufacturing and alleviating the global chip shortage.
The Senate passed the bill in June with 18 Republicans voting in favor, but House Democrats sat on it for seven months. Now, however, supply-chain issues have spooked vulnerable frontliners, who are demanding the party do something — anything — to try to address the matter. The White House has also given the House a gentle nudge, asking them to move the bill quickly.
Our Pro Trade colleague Gavin Bade (no relation to Rachael!) reports that the House version of the bill includes a number of aggressive trade provisions that will surely trigger corporate lobbying and intense negotiations with the Senate. The U.S. Chamber may be unhappy to learn that it includes a proposal that the business lobby pushed to remove from the Senate bill: a new government screening protocol for American investments in unfriendly nations like China. Gavin has more on the differences.
KELLY GETS SINEMA’S BACK — Sen. MARK KELLY (D-Ariz.) defended his fellow Democrat and delegation mate KYRSTEN SINEMA on Tuesday, saying he doesn’t agree with his state party’s move to censure her, the Arizona Republic reports. “While they came to different decisions on this vote, he looks forward to continuing to work with Senator Sinema on Arizona priorities,” a Kelly campaign spox told the newspaper’s Yvonne Wingett Sanchez.
THE RULES CHANGES DEMS CAN USE — Senate Republicans’ 2019 changes to chamber rules and norms around confirming nominees are now redounding to Democrats’ benefit, helping the party confirm an unusually high number of Biden’s judicial picks so far, reports Marianne LeVine. That includes a move to hasten the confirmation of most presidential nominees and the end of the “blue slip” tradition. “Senate Democrats’ approach to judicial nominees under Biden carries a huge potential lesson for the filibuster battle: It underscores the likelihood that any rules change in the chamber will eventually be used by the party in power, regardless of that party’s stance when out of power.”
ALL POLITICS
AN INAUSPICIOUS START — MEHMET OZ’s quest for the GOP nomination in the Pennsylvania Senate race is starting with a “code-red crisis,” Holly Otterbein reports from Philadelphia. The celebrity physician has been “handily rejected by party activists” in his first forays into grassroots politicking, she writes: “The fact that Oz has stumbled out of the gate in this first test among GOP activists has exposed vulnerabilities in his past record and raised questions about whether rank-and-file voters will also turn their backs on him once they learn more about him.”
IF AT FIRST YOU DON’T SUCCEED — Holly also writes in with this news: NINA TURNER, a former co-chair for BERNIE SANDERS’ presidential campaign, is announcing another run for Congress. Playbook got an exclusive look at her launch video, which features images of empty shelves and references to inflation.
Last year, Turner lost the Democratic primary for a special election in Ohio’s 11th District to now-Rep. SHONTEL BROWN. Turner had been openly eyeing another bid. Though a new redistricting map for the state hasn’t yet been approved, Turner’s team expects she’ll face a rematch with Brown.
CUELLAR’S FBI PROBE UPENDS HIS REELECT — In 2020, centrist Rep. HENRY CUELLAR (D-Texas) beat his former-intern-turned-progressive-challenger JESSICA CISNEROS by fewer than 3,000 votes. Now, the FBI raid on the congressman’s home and campaign headquarters has upended the rematch between the two just 26 days before early voting commences. Sarah Ferris and Ally Mutnick have a good story up about a groundswell of money and momentum moving toward Cisneros, the 28-year-old attorney.
Meanwhile, Cuellar released a video statement Tuesday announcing he intends to run for reelection, saying that he is “fully cooperating with law enforcement” and is confident the probe will show “no wrongdoing” on his part.
ABC reports that the investigation is related to Azerbaijan. And The New Republic’s Kate Aronoff dives deep into Cuellar’s history with Azerbaijan, and how U.S. policy has intertwined with the development of Azerbaijani oil for years.
ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST — Rep. JIM COOPER (D-Tenn.) announced he won’t seek reelection, following the state’s latest redistricting plan that would slice up his district. Cooper has held his seat in Congress since 2003. More from the Tennessean’s Melissa Brown and Adam Friedman. He’s the 29th Democrat to call it quits, the most since 1996, according to Open Secrets.
JAN. 6 AND ITS AFTERMATH
DEFINE THE TERM ‘INSURRECTIONIST’ — “A group of lawyers is working to disqualify Rep. MADISON CAWTHORN (R-N.C.) in his bid for reelection unless he can prove he is not an ‘insurrectionist,’ disqualified by the Constitution from holding office, in a case with implications for other officeholders and potentially Trump,” NYT’s Jonathan Weisman reports. “The novel challenge could set a precedent to challenge other Republicans who swore to uphold the Constitution, then encouraged the attack.”
POLICY CORNER
EYES ON THE FAKE ELECTORS — Deputy A.G. LISA MONACO told CNN “federal prosecutors are reviewing fake Electoral College certifications that declared Trump the winner of states that he lost … Monaco did not go into detail about what else prosecutors are looking at from the partisan attempt to subvert the 2020 vote count. She said that, more broadly, the Justice Department was ‘going to follow the facts and the law, wherever they lead, to address conduct of any kind and at any level that is part of an assault on our democracy.’” CNN’s Evan Perez and Tierney Sneed have more details
BEYOND THE BELTWAY
ALL ABOUT ALEX — Former Holyoke, Mass., Mayor ALEX MORSE challenged Rep. RICHARD NEAL (D-Mass.) in a 2020 primary and lost by 18 points. Morse was damaged by unfounded allegations that he used his position as a guest lecturer at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst to make unwanted sexual advances on students.
But losing the election may have been a good thing for Morse, The Boston Globe’s Mark Shanahan writes. “For now at least, Morse is doing exactly what he wants to do. Last April, he was chosen from among 120 applicants to be the Provincetown town manager. Given his age (32) and obvious ambition (mayor was his first job out of college), many, including his new Select Board bosses in Provincetown, have wondered if Morse is merely biding his time before running for Congress again.”
MEDIAWATCH
GRID’S ORIGIN STORY — Before Grid launched earlier this month, the digital news organization site worked with APCO Worldwide, a global consulting firm that “is best known for its crisis communications management and lobbying work on behalf of foreign governments, most notably the United Arab Emirates,” Max Tani and Daniel Lippman report.
While a spokesperson from the firm said it had “no continuing role” with Grid, Max and Daniel note that there are still links between the two: “Former CNN journalist JOHN DEFTERIOS, who has been based in the UAE for a decade, is a senior adviser at APCO and represents International Media Investments, a UAE-based investment fund, on Grid’s board, of which he is one of five members.”
PLAYBOOKERS
Eugene Goodman, the U.S. Capitol Police officer and hero of Jan. 6, spoke publicly for the first time since the attack. “It could have easily been a blood bath,” he said on the podcast “3 Brothers No Sense.”
Hillary and Chelsea Clinton were seen catching up with Kim Kardashian over coffee in Los Angeles. According to People Mag, the meeting was connected to the Clintons’ upcoming Apple TV+ docuseries.
Nancy Pelosi announced she’s running for Congress again, though few expect her to actually serve beyond this year.
Joe Biden stopped by a small business Tuesday. The shop owner said Biden purchased a hoodie, got a card for Jill Biden and also grabbed a mug with his veep’s face on it.
Melania Trump is auctioning off a hat she wore on a trip to France, but it’s off to a rough start thanks to the recent crypto crash.
SPOTTED on Tuesday night at (another) going-away party for the British Embassy’s James Hooley: Martin and Katherine O’Malley, Symone Sanders, Andrea Mitchell, Ed Luce, Greta Van Susteren, Steve Clemons, Helen Milby, Ned Price, Francesca Craig, Rufus Gifford, Sam Feist, Sean Spicer and British Ambassador Karen Pierce, who was seen dancing the Macarena.
FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Marc Lotter is now chief comms officer of America First Policy Institute. He most recently was SVP for marketing, comms and education for the Florida Hospital Association, and is a Trump 2020 campaign and White House alum.
— Fritz Brogan is transitioning to an emeritus board role at Maverick PAC after more than five years as chair. Ben Proler and Robert Flock will be national co-chairs.
TRANSITIONS — Cynthia Hogan is joining the NFL as a senior adviser to Commissioner Roger Goodell. She most recently was VP for public policy and government affairs for the Americas at Apple. … Adam Ambrogi is joining the League of Women Voters as senior director for voting and elections. He previously was director of the elections and voting program at the Democracy Fund. … Albert Fujii is now press secretary for the LGBTQ Victory Fund. He previously was a senior associate at Global Strategy Group. …
… Colleen Kennedy is now manager of policy comms at the Association of Equipment Manufacturers. She previously was comms director for Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.). … Rewiring America is bringing on a slate of new hires: Keishaa Austin will be head of engagement and partnerships, Cammie Croft will be chief of staff, Sarah Lazarovic will be head of comms and brand, Jamal Lewis will be director of policy partnerships and equitable electrification, Steve Pantano will be head of research, and Leah Stokes will be senior policy counsel.
ENGAGED — Conor Hall, incoming director of Colorado’s Office of Outdoor Recreation and Industry and a John Hickenlooper alum, and Harper Lodge-Real, who teaches fourth grade at Rocky Mountain Prep, recently got engaged on a boat off the Pacific coast of Mexico while whale watching. The couple met on their first day at Earlham College (Conor mistakenly thought Harper’s name was Emily for the first five weeks of knowing each other). Pic
HAPPY BIRTHDAY: House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy … HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra … Rep. Albio Sires (D-N.J.) … POLITICO’s Olivia Beavers … The Atlantic’s Tim Alberta … Jim Papa of Global Strategy Group … Cristina Antelo of Ferox Strategies … Axios’ Justin Green … Marisa Bellantonio … Kayla Gowdy of Olympic Media … Mala Parker of the International Foodservice Distributors Association … Thunder Road Group’s Jim Jordan … NPR’s Isabel Lara … Jessica Phan … Matt Miller of Rep. Ben Cline’s (R-Va.) office … Cheri Jacobus … Layla Brooks of Rep. Nikema Williams’ (D-Ga.) office … Brett Layson … Jen Hing … HHS’ David Naimon … Lindsay Hayes … Daryn Kagan … Margie Omero … Christian Deschauer … Col. Robert O. Bailey … former Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton … Sheila Angelo … Bloomberg’s Jarrod Bernstein
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26.) AMERICAN MINUTE
Hospitals & Healthcare Pioneered by Christian Charity – American Minute with Bill Federer
Healthcare & Hospitals Pioneered Christian Charity – American Minute with Bill Federer
- “I was sick and you visited me”;
- “Whatever you have done to the least of my brethren, you have done unto me.”
- hospital,
- hospitality,
- host,
- hostel, and
- hotel.
- Bologna
- Paris
- Naples
- Toulouse
- Oxford
- Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul (founded 1633);
- Sisters of St. Joseph (founded 1650);
- Sisters of Mercy (founded 1827);
- Little Sisters of the Poor (founded 1839);
- Sisters of Providence (founded 1843);
- Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine (founded 1851);
- Fr. Damien’s colony for lepers at Molokaʻi, Hawaii (founded 1864). Statues of him are at Hawaii’s Capitol and in the U.S. Capitol;
- Sisters of St. Mary (founded 1872);
- Sisters of the Little Company of Mary (founded 1877);
- Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother (founded 1883).
- Seventh Day Adventists,
- Baptists,
- Episcopalians,
- Lutherans,
- Methodists, and
- Presbyterians.
- Mayo Clinic,
- St. Vincent’s,
- Baltimore Infirmary, and
- hospitals for the working classes in Buffalo, Philadelphia and Boston.
- New York’s Lower East Side, 1890;
- Newark, 1901; and
- Boston, 1916.
- 98 percent Protestant,
- 1 percent Catholic,
- 1/10th of 1 percent Jewish.
- Catholic Health Initiatives-78 hospitals;
- Ascension Health-67 hospitals-Daughters of Charity, Congregation of St. Joseph, Sisters of St. Joseph;
- Trinity Health-44 hospitals, 379 Clinics, Catholic Health Ministries;
- Catholic Healthcare West-41 hospitals, Sisters of Mercy;
- Catholic Health East-34 hospitals, 9 religious congregations & Hope Ministries;
- Catholic Healthcare Partners-33 hospitals, Sisters of Mercy, Daughters of Charity;
- Providence Health & Services-26 hospitals, Sisters of Providence, Sisters of the Little Company of Mary;
- Marian Health System-25 hospitals, Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother
27.) CAFFEINATED THOUGHTS
28.) CONSERVATIVE DAILY NEWS
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29.) PJ MEDIA
The Morning Briefing: Like a Hobo’s Bad Foot Odor, Pelosi Is Sticking Around
Top O’ the Briefing
Happy Wednesday, dear Kruiser Morning Briefing friends. The Dalai Lama is a little too anal when it comes to following his coleslaw recipe if you ask me.
Things change at such a rapid pace these days that it’s often difficult to find things that are enduring. Constants are few and far between.
Unless one is looking at the practically fossilized ranks of leadership in the United States Congress.
When the Founding Fathers crafted the Constitution, not everyone lived and worked into their eighties. They couldn’t have foreseen the seat of the U.S. government resembling the Villages in Florida.
There has been a lot of speculation in recent months about whether Nancy Pelosi, the 81-year-old Speaker of the House of Representatives, would be seeking her seven thousandth term in office, prolonging a career that many of us believe had an expiration date that has long passed. Granny Boxwine had teased on more than one occasion last year that she might finally retire to her lizard ship in San Francisco and spare us any more incoherent rambling.
Looks like we’re not going to be so lucky.
My Townhall colleague Landon Mion has the bad news:
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) announced Tuesday that she will seek reelection to Congress in the 2022 midterm election.
Pelosi said in a video posted to Twitter announcing her plans for reelection that Democracy is “at risk” because of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot and GOP-led states passing election integrity legislation.
“While we have made progress much more needs to be done to improve people’s lives,” Pelosi said. “Our Democracy is at risk because of assaults on the truth, the assault on the U.S. Capitol and the state-by-state assault on voting rights. This election is crucial: nothing less is at stake than our Democracy. But as we say: we don’t agonize, we organize. And that is why I’m running for reelection to Congress and respectfully seek your support. I’d be greatly honored by it and grateful for it.”
There are multiple layers of ridiculousness going on here, beginning with Pelosi’s aforementioned age. Forget term limits, a mandatory retirement age for legislators is really what this country needs.
The real laugher in her statement is that Pelosi thinks that she’s an integral part of the “democracy” that she thinks needs saving. Our Republic is in peril, but people of sound mind know that it’s Nancy and her commie friends who are threatening it.
Were her version of events at all reality-based, it’s a good bet that many Democrats in the House don’t think that she’s the answer to the problem.
It’s true that Pelosi has been the first or second most powerful Democrat in Washington for a couple of decades now, but if the Republicans have the kind of midterm success that they’re expected to and Pelosi wins reelection as she’s expected to it will be the second time that she presided over her party getting an electoral shellacking.
That doesn’t exactly add a sheen to one’s legacy.
Even more pathetic is the fact that Pelosi obviously thinks that the Democrats are going to have some success with her Jan. 6 kangaroo court and she wants to stick around to enjoy it. Like all of those involved in the Soviet-esque show trial, she doesn’t get that there are no people outside of D.C. or the coastal media bubbles who care.
In reality, nothing much would be made better if Pelosi didn’t run again. She’s from San Francisco, so she would no doubt be replaced by someone younger and even more commie than she is. Here in the 21st century there’s never a better Democrat waiting in the wings.
Still, let’s take a hard look at that mandatory retirement age.
Everything Isn’t Awful
PJ Media
VodkaPundit. Insanity Wrap: Neil Young Tells Spotify to Dump Joe Rogan — or Else!
[Watch] Trump Appears to Say He’s the ’45th and 47th’ President, Suggesting a Re-Election Campaign
Military Whistleblowers May Blow Up the Covid Vaccine Narrative
NY Judge Restores Mask Mandate Temporarily After Kids Got One Day of Freedom
Breaker One-Nine, We Got Us a Convoy: Canadian Truckers Protest COVID Policy
Virginia: Afghan Convicted of Sexually Assaulting 3-Year-Old Girl, Says it’s Allowed in His Culture
Meet ‘Dr. Tarece’ — and Pray for the Families in Georgia’s Largest School District
NYC Mayor Adams Brings Back Plainclothes Unit That de Blasio Disbanded
Jail the vax Nazis. Unvaxxed Dad Removed From Heart Transplant List–He’s Not The First
Here’s the Next ‘Let’s Go Brandon’ Song to Send to the Top of the Charts
New California Bill Adds COVID-19 Vaccine to Long List of Required Inoculations for School Children
Woman Who Stopped at Lab Monkey Crash Site Is Now ‘Sick’
Everything’s fine. WATCH: Mexican Drug Cartel Modifies Drone, Drops Bombs
Why Russia Needs to Be Stopped in Ukraine
Shapiro. The COVID-19 Impact of Expressive Individualism
Townhall Mothership
If You’re Confronted By A Mask Karen, Rand Paul Has Some Advice
Nancy Pelosi Announces Run for Reelection in 2022
Pentagon Spox Gets Testy When Asked If US Is Relying On Taliban to Get People Out of Afghanistan
Joe Biden, Kamala Harris Wake up to More Bad News Ahead of 2022 – and 2024 – Elections
Tensions Boil Over in the Biden Administration After Ron Klain Is Thrown Under the Bus
Campus Carry bill heads to Arizona Senate floor
Cam&Co. Georgia Democrat unveils anti-Constitutional Carry bill
NYTimes editors want to go soft on teens caught with guns
Caught on camera: Mass release of single adult migrants in Brownsville
Who will pay Prince Andrew’s legal bills?
Politico: House, Senate Dem staffers flunk Schumer for “Leadership 101”
CNN’s viewership dropped off when Jim Acosta’s ‘Democracy in Peril’ special came on
Pat Sajak channels the best of the Babylon Bee as he warns of a new ‘alarming trend’
VIP
[WATCH] Kruiser’s ‘Beyond the Briefing’—Joe Biden Is Killing All Our Favorite Celebrities
The Final Masking Showdown Is ON in New York: What I Told My Kids’ School
The Slow Motion Red-Pilling of Bill Maher and Bari Weiss Is More Important Than Their Views on COVID
Helter-Stelter in a Misinformation Swelter
New COVID Variants Identified, No One Cares
The Delicious Irony of the Biden ‘Recovery’
60 Years of James Bond Theme Songs: Part 003 of 007
Joe Biden Proved He’s the Real ‘Son of a B****’
GOLD Democrats Yearn to Imprison You
Around the Interwebz
Sir Ian McKellen Says His One Final Desire Is To Star In A Musical
Kate Clanchy: how publishers became the book-burners
A rare find: archaeologists unearth 4,000-year-old board game in Oman
These Ants in Panama Are Masters of Damage Control
Bee Me
The Kruiser Kabana
Kabana Gallery
Kabana Tunes
For media inquiries, please contact communications@pjmedia.com.
PJ Media senior columnist and associate editor Stephen Kruiser is a professional stand-up comic, writer, and recovering political activist who edits and writes PJ’s Morning Briefing, aka The Greatest Political Newsletter in America. His latest book, Straight Outta Feelings, is a humorous exploration of how the 2016 election made him enjoy politics more than he ever had before. When not being a reclusive writer, Kruiser has had the honor of entertaining U.S. troops all over the world. Follow on: Gab, Parler, MeWe
30.) WHITE HOUSE DOSSIER
31.) THE DISPATCH
The Morning Dispatch: Much Ado About Monoclonal Antibodies
Plus: Unnerving developments in Yemen’s civil war.
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Happy Wednesday! Some much-needed good news on this dreary winter day: MLB players and owners appear to be inching closer to an agreement on a new labor agreement that would end the lockout.
If all goes well, pitchers and catchers could report to spring training in less than three weeks.
Quick Hits: Today’s Top Stories
- One day after Defense Department officials said they had placed about 8,500 U.S. military personnel on “a heightened preparedness to deploy” to Eastern Europe, President Joe Biden told reporters there will not be “any American forces moving into Ukraine.” Biden added that the United States could personally sanction Russian President Vladimir Putin if he follows through with an invasion of Ukraine.
- A senior Biden administration official—briefing reporters on the condition of anonymity yesterday—said the White House has been working with global oil and gas suppliers to boost production in case Russia decides to further limit, or halt, natural gas shipments to Europe over Ukraine tensions. “To ensure Europe is able to make it through the winter and spring, we expect to be prepared to ensure alternative supplies covering a significant majority of the potential shortfall,” the official said.
- A Centers for Disease Control study released Tuesday found that, although the Omicron variant is resulting in significantly more COVID-19 infections than previous strains of the virus, it tends to cause milder disease. In the study, those hospitalized with the Omicron variant—compared to the Delta or original strain—had shorter stays and were less likely to end up in the ICU.
- The Food and Drug Administration announced Monday it had withdrawn its authorization of Regeneron and Eli Lilly’s COVID-19 monoclonal antibody treatments after a series of studies had shown them to be ineffective against the Omicron variant. “If [future] patients in certain geographic regions are likely to be infected or exposed to a variant that is susceptible to these treatments, then use of these treatments may be authorized in these regions,” the FDA said in a statement.
- South Korean military officials said North Korea launched two cruise missiles on Tuesday morning, a move that, if confirmed, would represent the regime’s fifth such test this month.
- Accusing Tennessee’s General Assembly of “dismembering” his district in the redistricting process, 16-term Rep. Jim Cooper of Tennessee announced Tuesday he will not seek reelection in 2022, becoming the 29th House Democrat to do so this cycle.
FDA Revokes EUA for Monoclonal Antibodies
The Omicron COVID-19 variant may be milder than its predecessors, but the new strain is still wreaking havoc, in large part because it’s proven able to chip away at the effectiveness of several tools in our existing pandemic toolbox. The vaccines—particularly three doses of them—still do a strong job at keeping people alive and out of the hospital, but their ability to prevent infection and transmission entirely has taken a hit. Rapid antigen tests are still able to detect an Omicron infection, but less reliably than infection with previous variants.
Earlier this week, the Food and Drug Administration announced another casualty of the Omicron wave: Two monoclonal antibody treatments, manufactured by Regeneron and Eli Lilly.
“Because data show these treatments are highly unlikely to be active against the omicron variant, which is circulating at a very high frequency throughout the United States, these treatments are not authorized for use in any U.S. states, territories, and jurisdictions at this time,” Dr. Patrizia Cavazzoni, director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said on Monday. “In the future, if patients in certain geographic regions are likely to be infected or exposed to a variant that is susceptible to these treatments, then use of these treatments may be authorized in these regions.”
Even with other COVID treatments coming down the pike, losing monoclonal antibodies (at least in the short term) is a blow. Tens of thousands of Americans are currently hospitalized with COVID-19, and—while Omicron does tend to send fewer people to the ICU—many current and future patients would have benefited from an effective version of the treatments. But you wouldn’t necessarily expect the move to be controversial—who wants to take an expensive drug that’s known not to work?
Nevertheless, many prominent Republicans and conservative entertainment figures furiously denounced the move. Gov. Ron DeSantis accused the Biden administration of revoking access to the treatments “without a shred of clinical data to support its decision,” attributing the change to “the whims of a floundering president.”
But DeSantis’ response was tame compared to that of his press secretary, Christina Pushaw, who retweeted this claim from conspiracy theorist Mike Cernovich: “The FDA is trying to make it so that people in Florida die of Covid. They’ll kill people to harm Republicans. Steel yourselves for the evil that is being unleashed.”
There have been plenty of partisan debates about various COVID-19 treatments the past two years—hydroxychloroquine, ivermectin, etc.—but there’s long been a consensus about the efficacy of monoclonal antibodies. For months, DeSantis—in an apparent attempt to position himself as serious about the pandemic without riling up his base’s anti-vaccine cohort—has been a major cheerleader for the therapy, holding press conferences from clinics where it was being offered and promoting it in his regular cable news appearances. Last September, he pushed back strongly against the Biden administration’s shift toward rationing the government’s weekly allotment of the treatments more equitably among the states—a move that reduced Florida’s supply while Delta was still raging.
If there was always going to be a contingent of Floridians who insisted on going unvaxxed—and there would have been, no matter what DeSantis did—it made sense that the governor would spend his time and political capital pumping an effective treatment.
But Omicron, with its dozens of mutations, has changed the game. In study after study after study after study—dating back well over a month—researchers have lamented the variant’s ability to evade previous defenses. “A minor form of omicron is completely resistant to all antibodies in clinical use today,” one report from Columbia University and Hong Kong researchers found. “The authors note that omicron is now the most complete ‘escapee’ from neutralization that scientists have seen.”
(The studies found one exception among drugs already authorized by the FDA: sotrovimab, an antibody treatment produced by GlaxoSmithKline, retained some effectiveness against Omicron. The FDA is keeping that in circulation, and at least one antibody infusion center in Florida has already switched from Regeneron’s drug to sotrovimab this week.)
Perhaps most surprised by DeSantis’ “without a shred of data” claim would be Regeneron and Eli Lilly themselves, as both drugmakers publicly backed the FDA’s decision and pledged to come back with updated treatments that work for newer variants.
“The original REGEN-COV antibody cocktail has been administered to millions of people globally and works well against Delta and other serious variants of concern,” a Regeneron spokesperson said in a statement. “However, it does not work against the Omicron variant in lab tests, which tells us that it is also not going to work in people who are infected with this variant. According to the CDC, over 99 percent of COVID cases in the U.S. are now caused by the Omicron variant, and thus the FDA’s decision to amend the Emergency Use Authorization was appropriate at this time.”
Why is it that monoclonal antibodies have become essentially useless against Omicron, when the COVID vaccines, although diminished in their effectiveness, continue to provide some protection? The likely cause is the difference in the sort of protection each therapy offers. The immune response triggered by a COVID vaccine does result in the production of antibodies that strongly resemble those acquired directly in Regeneron or Eli Lilly’s treatments. But a vaccine also triggers the body to produce more broad-spectrum defenders against infection known as T-cells. And T-cells are thought to be much better at retaining their efficacy against variant forms of viruses than are antibodies alone.
You like strained military metaphors? Think of a body at war with COVID, with an individual virus as an enemy fighter jet. If the defense knew of and could access an exploit in the plane’s computers’ programming, they might be able to bring it down with no fuss—that’s antibody protection. But that strategy could be defeated if the exploit was patched—that’s a new viral variant. Fortunately, patch or no patch, you can still shoot the plane out of the sky with a good old missile—that’s T-cell protection.
Of course, T-cell protection alone isn’t as good as a combination of T-cells and functional antibodies, which may explain why the vaccines too are flagging somewhat in the face of Omicron—particularly against infection. But the difference does illustrate why the current generation of monoclonal treatments seems to be dead in the water.
Civil War Escalates in Yemen
In a startling development of a seven-year conflict, Yemen’s Houthi rebels in recent days targeted the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with drones and missiles for the first time.
On January 17, drone and missile attacks targeting the UAE killed two Indian civilians and one Pakistani national at a construction site near Abu Dhabi International Airport and a fuel storage facility. On Monday, U.S. and Emirati forces intercepted two ballistic missiles near Al Dhafra Air Base, which currently houses 2,000 U.S. service members. Each was accompanied by attacks on Saudi Arabia, the more frequent target of the Houthis’ cross-border rocket fire.
“U.S. forces at Al Dhafra Air Base, near Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), engaged two inbound missile threats with multiple Patriot interceptors coincident to efforts by the armed forces of the UAE in the early morning hours of Jan. 24, 2022,” U.S. Central Command said in a statement. “The combined efforts successfully prevented both missiles from impacting the base. There were no U.S. casualties.”
The UAE’s ambassador to the U.S., Yousef Al Otaiba, urged action to interrupt the flow of arms and cash to the Houthis on Monday, adding that the U.S. “should move now to put the Houthis back on the terrorist list.” The country’s defense ministry also posted footage of its retaliatory air strike by an F-16 targeting a missile launcher in Al Jawf, Yemen.
The Saudi Arabia-led coalition also carried out strikes in Houthi-occupied areas following last week’s attacks, in one instance hitting a prison and killing more than 80. The coalition’s spokesman, Brigadier General Turki al-Malki, said afterward that the Houthis had failed to report the target as a civilian site either to the United Nations or the Red Cross. Another coalition strike in the city of Hodeidah reportedly killed six people, including three children.
State Department spokesman Ned Price said Monday that the Houthis’ recent attacks and the coalition’s retaliation represented a “troubling escalation,” calling for a “diplomatic solution” to the ongoing conflict.
A possible source of the resurgence in cross-border fighting is recent success by the Giants Brigade, an Emirati-backed militia fighting on behalf of the internationally recognized Yemeni government. Earlier this year, the group picked up territory in Shabwah province. Following the Houthi attack on the UAE Monday, the group successfully pushed into Harib.
Houthi leadership said that it had been targeting Al Dhafra in its launch on Monday, claiming to have successfully hit the air base. “As long as the aggression against us continues, we will continue to respond, and this is a defensive and legitimate position,” Houthi negotiator Mohammed Abdulsalam said Tuesday, according to a Houthi news site. “If the UAE decides not to be targeted, it should not target others, and when the enemy stops attacking our country, only then do our retaliatory attacks stop.”
The same source reported that Abdulsalam had visited Iran’s capital city of Tehran on the day of the first attack on UAE, January 17, to meet with Islamic Republic President Ebrahim Raisi. Given Iranian financial and military support for the Houthis, it’s likely not a coincidence amid a diplomatic stalemate in indirect negotiations to revive the 2015 Iran Nuclear deal in Vienna.
“I don’t think that the Houthis would have undertaken these operations in the UAE without at least Iran’s advance knowledge of what is going on,” Jason Brodsky, policy director at United Against Nuclear Iran, told The Dispatch. “And I think it has the added benefit for the Iranians in demonstrating their own leverage in the region.”
On Monday, Price told reporters the administration is “taking a close look at the appropriate response” in response to a question about possible plans to re-list the Houthis as a terrorist organization. Biden lifted the designation shortly after taking office last year, which some experts believe to have emboldened the group’s leadership.
Asked why the Houthis are taking escalatory steps now, Michael Rubin—a former Pentagon official and resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute—said: “Frankly, because they feel they can. Appeasement never works. From its start, the Biden team has sought to relieve pressure on both the Houthis and Iran. The result hasn’t been effective diplomacy, it has been an empowerment of terrorism.”
Similarly, Brodksy argued that keeping the designation lifted set a “troubling precedent.”
“The Houthis are terrorists. There is no reason, there is no evidence, to suggest anything other than that conclusion. They’re aiming missiles and drones at civilian sites in the United Arab Emirates, they’re trying to interrupt maritime activities in the area, and they are trying to hold hostage the global economy,” he said. “We have Americans who are at risk in the Emirates, and also in Saudi Arabia. So I think this is a real challenge for the United States.”
Worth Your Time
- A year into Joe Biden’s presidency, Washington Post reporters Sean Sullivan and Tyler Pager spoke with more than 60 lawmakers and administration officials to gauge the performance of White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain. “Biden, with Klain’s help, secured a $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill and a landmark infrastructure package, which Klain’s supporters cite as evidence of his effectiveness,” they write. “But the president also has faced setbacks in taming the pandemic, failed to pass his marquee social spending and climate legislation, and spent much of the year enmeshed in messy congressional negotiations. Along the way, Klain has drawn criticism that he is overly concerned with elite opinion, as reflected in his active Twitter presence, and that he is aligned too closely with Democrats’ left wing. … Klain rejected the critique from some centrists that the White House agenda has been too ambitious, turning off swing voters. ‘I think the challenge here is not that we’ve tried to do too much—it’s that we still have work left to do,’ Klain said. Rep. Stephanie Murphy (D-Fla.), a centrist who is retiring from Congress, ridiculed that assertion, saying, ‘Has he read a poll lately?’ She added, ‘Hopefully we’re moving away from progressive aspirations and towards pragmatic results.’”
Presented Without Comment
Also Presented Without Comment
After immense international backlash, Tennis Australia reverses its ban on spectators donning T-shirts in support of Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai at the Australian Open. 
Toeing the Company Line
- Yesterday’s Sweep touches on Alabama’s GOP Senate primary, Democratic calls to challenge Sen. Joe Manchin from the left, Biden’s approval among independents, and red states’ efforts to stand up police units dedicated to snuffing out election fraud. “If you’ve got extra police laying around, then the dramatic rise in violent crime in pretty much every major U.S. city (in Georgia, homicides jumped 55 percent last year) coupled with the low clearance rate is a more pressing problem for the vast majority of people,” Sarah writes.
- David’s latest French Press (🔒) looks at the Supreme Court’s decision to grant cert in two college admissions lawsuits. “In both cases the plaintiffs make a compelling case—that efforts to increase the diversity of the student body have resulted in sometimes-crass discrimination, mostly against Asian students,” he writes. “The Supreme Court has a golden opportunity to correct its mistakes and address discrimination in higher education.”
- Can Congress do anything to stave off a Russian invasion of Ukraine? In Tuesday’s Uphill, Haley and Harvest took a closer look at what a potential sanctions package could look like and gauge lawmakers’ temperature on the escalating crisis. “We should look for creative ways to arm our Ukrainian friends to the teeth and consider forward positioning NATO forces to deter Russia,” Sen. Roger Wicker of Missouri told them. “The world is watching this test of our resolve.”
- Leon Aron—director of Russian studies at the American Enterprise Institute—joined Jonah on today’s episode of The Remnant for a conversation about all things Russia and Ukraine. Would the Russian people support an invasion of Ukraine? How is Russia influencing European politics? And is there any chance of Russia becoming a quasi-democratic country in the near future?
Let Us Know
Do you think, given the data, that the Food and Drug Administration made the correct decision in revoking its authorization of monoclonal antibodies? Or should the agency allow Americans to pursue the treatment if they want, despite growing evidence of its ineffectiveness against Omicron?
Reporting by Declan Garvey (@declanpgarvey), Andrew Egger (@EggerDC), Charlotte Lawson (@lawsonreports), Audrey Fahlberg (@AudreyFahlberg), Ryan Brown (@RyanP_Brown), Harvest Prude (@HarvestPrude), and Steve Hayes (@stephenfhayes).
32.) LEGAL INSURRECTION
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33.) THE DAILY WIRE
34.) DESERET NEWS
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35.) BRIGHT
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36.) AMERICAN THINKER
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37.) LARRY J. SABATO’S CRYSTAL BALL
38.) THE BLAZE
39.) THE FEDERALIST
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A woman points a weapon during a military training session for employees of essential city industries and services outside Lviv, Ukraine, January 25, 2022. REUTERS/Roman Baluk
Medical staff treat a COVID patient in the Intensive Care Unit at the Providence Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo, California, January 25, 2022. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton
41.) NOQ REPORT
42.) ARRA NEWS SERVICE
43.) REDSTATE
44.) WORLD NET DAILY
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45.) MSNBC
46.) BIZPAC REVIEW
47.) ABC
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48.) NBC MORNING RUNDOWN
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To ensure delivery to your inbox add email@mail.nbcnews.com to your contacts  Today’s Top Stories from NBC News WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 26, 2022 Good morning, NBC News readers.
Today we take a closer look at why Russian President Vladimir Putin is so fixated on Ukraine and what he hopes to gain from the current diplomatic standoff. Researchers hope a new study may offer clues about who may be at risk for long Covid. Plus, meet Methuselah, the world’s oldest living aquarium fish.
Here’s what we’re watching this Wednesday morning.
 Russian President Vladimir Putin has massed an estimated 100,000 troops on Ukraine’s border, with the United States and its European allies scrambling to deter an invasion and respond to the Kremlin’s demands.
What will Putin’s next move be? The question has dominated conversation in the corridors of power here and in Europe as President Joe Biden looks to ward off what he said would be “the most consequential thing that’s happened in the world, in terms of war and peace, since World War II.”
Read our in-depth analysis on the roots of the crisis, what Putin might want from the standoff, and how he could be planning to get it.
Plus, here’s why Germany might be the West’s weak link in the Russia-Ukraine standoff.
And Biden said Tuesday that he has “no intention” of moving U.S. forces into Ukraine, but stressed there would be enormous economic and political consequences if Putin goes through with an invasion. Wednesday’s Top Stories
 A blood test may someday help determine a person’s risk for long Covid, “promising” new research suggests. “There is no single test, no imaging study, that can be used to give a diagnosis” of long Covid, one researcher said. “This helps move us in that direction.”  Several House Republicans are praising parts of the recently enacted funding measure they see as beneficial to their districts after they bashed the overall bill as wasteful.  Hispanic women in clinics that provide abortions are seeing “terror” and “trauma” from the law that bans abortions around six weeks of pregnancy.  As affirmative action programs face their biggest threat in decades with two Supreme Court cases coming up, experts say Black and Latino students would experience fewer job and financial opportunities. Also in the News
Editor’s Pick
 With growing interest in water births, placenta consumption and deferring newborn vaccinations, doctors should counsel expectant parents on the risks such decisions could pose to babies, the authors wrote. Select
Blueland’s eco-friendly cleaning products are surprisingly tough on everything from marble to glass. One Fun Thing
 Meet Methuselah, the fish that likes to eat fresh figs, get belly rubs and is believed to be the oldest living aquarium fish in the world.
In the Bible, Methuselah was Noah’s grandfather and was said to have lived to be 969 years old. Methuselah the fish is not quite that ancient, but biologists at the California Academy of Sciences believe it is about 90 years old, with no known living peers.
Methuselah is a 4-foot-long, 40-pound Australian lungfish that was brought to the San Francisco museum in 1938 from Australia.
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49.) NBC FIRST READ
From NBC’s Chuck Todd, Benjy Sarlin, Ben Kamisar, Bridget Bowman and Alexandra Marquez FIRST READ: Democrats ‘aim high’ legislative approach hasn’t worked. What comes next? If it’s Wednesday… President Biden returns to “Build Back Better”… Nancy Pelosi is running for re-election (but that doesn’t mean she’ll stick around the next Congress)… Hershel Walker announces raising $5.4 million for the quarter in GA-SEN… 65 percent say they’re more concerned about children falling behind in school than they are the spread of Covid… And Nina Turner wants a rematch against Rep. Shontel Brown.
But FIRST… With Biden’s State of the Union coming up on March 1, the pressure is on Democrats to show movement on his legislative agenda and start teeing up some policy wins.
Unfortunately for Biden, things are at a low point right now, particularly in the Senate, and that’s putting more scrutiny on Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s approach.
Schumer wanted to aim high and then try to drag the last holdouts – namely Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.V., and Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz. – towards his position, rather than start from their preferred position and sell it to the rest of the caucus as a consensus approach. First on “Build Back Better,” the Senate opened with a $3.5 trillion framework, and the White House and leadership worked to bring Manchin and Sinema around. Then on voting rights, Schumer whipped everyone else in the caucus to support rules changes that many of them opposed until recently, leaving the party’s members, donors and activists a clear lane to pressure Manchin and Sinema
In some ways, it’s the opposite of Barack Obama’s approach in 2009, when progressive activists complained Democrats were too quick to surrender policy concessions to centrist members for the sake of expediency. Even if turning the screws on them didn’t work, critics argued Democrats might have gotten more if they starting with a bigger opening bid.  Reuters file If the “aim high” approach had worked, Schumer would look like a genius right now. The problem is that it’s failed to produce results since summer, and some Democrats are pining for the quieter consensus approach.
It’s also produced grassroots Dem rage at Manchin and Sinema – with Sinema almost guaranteed to receive a primary challenge in 2024. (By the way, ask yourself: Which Senate leader has done a better job protecting his party’s centrist senator: Schumer with Sinema, or Mitch McConnell with Lisa Murkowski?)
There still may be chances to get BBB on track. There are some other opportunities to put wins on the board, like bipartisan legislation on science research and semiconductor manufacturing that the House and Senate are hashing out. A growing group of senators are exploring bipartisan changes to the Electoral Count Act to help prevent future Trump-like attempts to overturn the results.
But the schedule is also getting crowded, and the Senate may not be able to take up anything significant before going through negotiations to fund the government past Feb. 18. If Biden’s agenda fails to produce any more substantive wins, this summer, fall, and winter stretch of “aim high” tactics in the Senate is going to loom large in evaluations of his presidency.
Tweet of the Day: Cuellar’s staying in 
Midterm roundup Progressive activist Nina Turner is making another run for Congress, setting up a rematch with Rep. Shontel Brown, D-Ohio, who beat Turner in a special election primary last year, NBC’s Henry Gomez reports.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., announced yesterday that she is running for re-election.
Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., who is facing a tough re-election fight this year, does not support the Arizona Democratic Party’s decision to censure fellow Democratic Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, NBC’s Leigh Ann Caldwell reports from the Grand Canyon State.
Former President Donald Trump encouraged former State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus to run for the now-open Tennessee 5th District House seat, saying in a statement yesterday she would have his endorsement if she runs.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., took sides in the Ohio GOP Senate primary, endorsing “Hillbilly Elegy” author JD Vance, calling Vance “100% pro-life, pro-2nd Amendment and pro-Trump.” Greene will campaign with Vance on Sunday, per a Vance campaign press release.
Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., has a new TV ad on OANN attacking Dr. Anthony Fauci and advertising the campaign’s Fauci flip-flops.
Data Download: The number of the day is … 65. That’s the percentage of Americans in the new NBC News poll who say they are more concerned about kids falling behind at school, versus 30 percent who say they are more concerned about the spread of the coronavirus.
Eighty-seven percent of Republicans, 66 percent of independents, 79 percent of dads, 65 percent of moms, 71 percent of whites and 59 percent of Hispanics all agree that kids falling behind outweigh the risks of spreading the virus during in-person school.
But Democrats are far more divided on the issue — 51 percent said they were more concerned about in-person school spreading the virus, while 43 percent said they were more concerned about kids falling behind.
The only other big group with a majority more worried about the in-person spread at schools are Black voters — 52 percent shared that belief, compared to the 40 percent more concerned about kids falling behind.
Other numbers you need to know today 13 percent: The share of congressional staffers who make less than a living wage (pegged at $42,610 for a single adult with no kids in D.C.), per a new Issue One studyshared with Roll Call.
$5.4 million: That’s how much Georgia GOP Senate hopeful Herschel Walker says his campaign raised during the fourth quarter of 2021.
$21.5 million: How much money South Carolina GOP Sen. Tim Scott had on hand for his campaign heading into 2022.
29: The number of House Democrats, now that Tennessee Rep. Jim Cooper announced his retirement, who are not running for re-election.
ICYMI: What ELSE is happening in the world Market-watchers expect the Fed to signal its intent to raise rates in the coming months, with all eyes on its 2 p.m. statement.
Changes to voting laws could be a high-stakes consequence of the Pennsylvania governor’s race, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
Here’s why Democrats breathed a sigh of relief as Vice President Kamala Harris touched down in Wisconsin on Tuesday, NBC News’ Natasha Korecki reports.
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Biden called Doocy a ‘son of a bitch’ but the best part was doocy’s response…
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TOP STORIES:
-
Doocy’s Response To Biden Calling Him an ‘SOB’ is Hilarious
-
OUTBREAK! Woman Who Came In Contact With CDC Monkeys Falls ill
- Biden Could Get Millions Killed – Gen. Flynn Drops Bombshell
-
FDA CHIEF Makes End of COVID Announcement…
- Biden Just Lost Support From Major Group… He’s DONE!
- Cheney Just Learned Her Fate After Attacking MAGA
-
SUPREME COURT ACCEPTS CASE — DEMS ARE FREAKING OUT
- Biden Initiates Dangerous War…
- Voter Fraud Investigation Busted Wide Open by Supreme Court…
- Jan 6 Dems Face Jail After Newt Gingrich Drops a Bomb…
- Jordan Demands Investigation Into Nancy Pelosi After Disturbing Revelation
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IN DEPTH…
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- Judge Strikes Down New York Mask Mandate New
- Grumpy Joe Gets Caught on Hot Mic Calling Fox News Reporter THIS! New
- Biden must stand up to Putin New
- Smollett March sentencing date 2 hours ago
- Border Apprehensions Almost 1.9M 2 hours ago
- DHS tracking migrants on phones 2 hours ago
- Tom Brady Retires??? 3 hours ago
- Fixes to U.S. Nuke Deterrents Needed 3 hours ago
- Rogan: CNN is ‘Full of S***’ 3 hours ago
- China in Central America? 3 hours ago
- Putin’s Risky Options in Ukraine 3 hours ago
- Euro Perspective on Ukrainian Security 3 hours ago
- Militarized Dolphins Protect Nukes 3 hours ago
- Levin Exposes Media & Hunter 3 hours ago
- Inflation will bankrupt Biden & Dems 3 hours ago
- Oldest Republic Reveals Secret 3 hours ago
- Beijing Locks Down More 3 hours ago
- Biden Admin Again Rejects Ukraine 3 hours ago
- Taliban Lands in Europe, Shock Welcome 3 hours ago
- Anti-Semitic Incidents Decade-High 3 hours ago
- Biden Fails to Nominate Ukraine Amb 3 hours ago
- Canada journo whines abt maskless FlL 3 hours ago
- Restaurateurs ask for more COVID money 3 hours ago
- Biden Nom says Voter ID Racist 3 hours ago
- Psaki Silent on Parent Smarts 3 hours ago
- Universities’ Last Leg Collapsing 3 hours ago
- FDA bans monoclonal for Florida 4 hours ago
- Nasdaq Will Go Bear Market 4 hours ago
- Bitcoin Falls 50% From High 4 hours ago
- S&P 500 correction then up 4 hours ago
- IRS says file ASAP 4 hours ago
- US food supply under pressure 4 hours ago
- Biden regulations crushing economy 4 hours ago
- Lithium Hits ‘Ludicrous Mode’ 4 hours ago
- Judge nixes NY mandate 4 hours ago
- Iran 12 months from ‘nuclear bomb’ 4 hours ago
- State Dept $ for China’s Surfers 4 hours ago
- Market Never Plunged 10% This Fast 4 hours ago
- Wall Street white knuckle 4 hours ago
- Bitcoin Faithful: Fears Send Chills 4 hours ago
- Fed may try to calm nerves 4 hours ago
- SUPERBUBBLE, SUPERBURST? 4 hours ago
- Lab monkey on run -‘infected’? 4 hours ago
- ANOTHER LOCKDOWN PARTY REVEALED 4 hours ago
- Boris partied while plebes banned 4 hours ago
- Violence against homeless increasing 4 hours ago
- Idaho Sitting on Important Element 4 hours ago
- Covid? Bars and gyms bustle! 4 hours ago
- Palin tests positive at start of trial 4 hours ago
- Drinking red wine reduces risk 4 hours ago
- Florida shark attacks up 4 hours ago
- Trump losing to Trumpism 4 hours ago
- The Year Biden Needs You to Forget 11 hours ago
- Trump For Speaker Of The House 11 hours ago
- Is Biden Right? The Future is the Left’s? 11 hours ago
- Why Masked & Unmasked Disdain Each Other 11 hours ago
- Biden Admin & Bogus Prenatal Tests 11 hours ago
- Inflation Killing Small Businesses 11 hours ago
- Runaway Government Spending 11 hours ago
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TOP STORIES:
-
Shocking Footage Leaked Exposes Democrats Plot To Steal 2024
-
Doocy’s Response To Biden Calling Him an ‘SOB’ is Hilarious
-
Federal Judge Delivers Ruling That Has Conservatives Cheering
- FBI Raids Major COVID Testing Company
- FDA CHIEF Makes End of COVID Announcement…
- OUTBREAK! Woman Who Came In Contact With CDC Monkeys Falls ill
- Biden Could Get Millions Killed – Gen. Flynn Drops Bombshell
- Biden Just Lost Support From Major Group… He’s DONE!
- Cheney Just Learned Her Fate After Attacking MAGA
- SUPREME COURT ACCEPTS CASE — DEMS ARE FREAKING OUT
- Biden Initiates Dangerous War…
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IN DEPTH…
|
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- Judge Strikes Down New York Mask Mandate New
- Grumpy Joe Gets Caught on Hot Mic Calling Fox News Reporter THIS! New
- Biden must stand up to Putin New
- Smollett March sentencing date 2 hours ago
- Border Apprehensions Almost 1.9M 2 hours ago
- DHS tracking migrants on phones 2 hours ago
- Tom Brady Retires??? 3 hours ago
- Fixes to U.S. Nuke Deterrents Needed 3 hours ago
- Rogan: CNN is ‘Full of S***’ 3 hours ago
- China in Central America? 3 hours ago
- Putin’s Risky Options in Ukraine 3 hours ago
- Euro Perspective on Ukrainian Security 3 hours ago
- Militarized Dolphins Protect Nukes 3 hours ago
- Levin Exposes Media & Hunter 3 hours ago
- Inflation will bankrupt Biden & Dems 3 hours ago
- Oldest Republic Reveals Secret 3 hours ago
- Beijing Locks Down More 3 hours ago
- Biden Admin Again Rejects Ukraine 3 hours ago
- Taliban Lands in Europe, Shock Welcome 3 hours ago
- Anti-Semitic Incidents Decade-High 3 hours ago
- Biden Fails to Nominate Ukraine Amb 3 hours ago
- Canada journo whines abt maskless FlL 3 hours ago
- Restaurateurs ask for more COVID money 3 hours ago
- Biden Nom says Voter ID Racist 3 hours ago
- Psaki Silent on Parent Smarts 3 hours ago
- Universities’ Last Leg Collapsing 3 hours ago
- FDA bans monoclonal for Florida 4 hours ago
- Nasdaq Will Go Bear Market 4 hours ago
- Bitcoin Falls 50% From High 4 hours ago
- S&P 500 correction then up 4 hours ago
- IRS says file ASAP 4 hours ago
- US food supply under pressure 4 hours ago
- Biden regulations crushing economy 4 hours ago
- Lithium Hits ‘Ludicrous Mode’ 4 hours ago
- Judge nixes NY mandate 4 hours ago
- Iran 12 months from ‘nuclear bomb’ 4 hours ago
- State Dept $ for China’s Surfers 4 hours ago
- Market Never Plunged 10% This Fast 4 hours ago
- Wall Street white knuckle 4 hours ago
- Bitcoin Faithful: Fears Send Chills 4 hours ago
- Fed may try to calm nerves 4 hours ago
- SUPERBUBBLE, SUPERBURST? 4 hours ago
- Lab monkey on run -‘infected’? 4 hours ago
- ANOTHER LOCKDOWN PARTY REVEALED 4 hours ago
- Boris partied while plebes banned 4 hours ago
- Violence against homeless increasing 4 hours ago
- Idaho Sitting on Important Element 4 hours ago
- Covid? Bars and gyms bustle! 4 hours ago
- Palin tests positive at start of trial 4 hours ago
- Drinking red wine reduces risk 4 hours ago
- Florida shark attacks up 4 hours ago
- Trump losing to Trumpism 4 hours ago
- The Year Biden Needs You to Forget 11 hours ago
- Trump For Speaker Of The House 11 hours ago
- Is Biden Right? The Future is the Left’s? 11 hours ago
- Why Masked & Unmasked Disdain Each Other 11 hours ago
- Biden Admin & Bogus Prenatal Tests 11 hours ago
- Inflation Killing Small Businesses 11 hours ago
- Runaway Government Spending 11 hours ago
|
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TOP STORIES:
-
Biden Mandate Just Canceled… COVID Coming To An End…
- Cali-Born Olympic Just BETRAYED America… Will Compete For Enemy…
-
Shocking Footage Leaked Exposes Democrats Plot To Steal 2024
-
Doocy’s Response To Biden Calling Him an ‘SOB’ is Hilarious
-
Federal Judge Delivers Ruling That Has Conservatives Cheering
- BREAKING: Pelosi Just Made It Official…
- New Bill Makes Crime Out Of Vaccination Status
- FBI Raids Major COVID Testing Company
- FDA CHIEF Makes End of COVID Announcement…
- OUTBREAK! Woman Who Came In Contact With CDC Monkeys Falls ill
- Biden Could Get Millions Killed – Gen. Flynn Drops Bombshell
- Biden Just Lost Support From Major Group… He’s DONE!
|
|
IN DEPTH…
|
|
- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to seek re-election 2 hours ago
- Study Shows Drop in Menthol Cig Sales, BUT… 4 hours ago
- Kid Rock Anti-Biden/Fauci Single! 6 hours ago
- Biden Admin Withdraws OSHA Mandate 6 hours ago
- Judge Strikes Down New York Mask Mandate New
- Grumpy Joe Gets Caught on Hot Mic Calling Fox News Reporter THIS! New
- Biden must stand up to Putin New
- Smollett March sentencing date 2 hours ago
- Border Apprehensions Almost 1.9M 2 hours ago
- DHS tracking migrants on phones 2 hours ago
- Tom Brady Retires??? 3 hours ago
- Fixes to U.S. Nuke Deterrents Needed 3 hours ago
- Rogan: CNN is ‘Full of S***’ 3 hours ago
- China in Central America? 3 hours ago
- Putin’s Risky Options in Ukraine 3 hours ago
- Euro Perspective on Ukrainian Security 3 hours ago
- Militarized Dolphins Protect Nukes 3 hours ago
- Levin Exposes Media & Hunter 3 hours ago
- Inflation will bankrupt Biden & Dems 3 hours ago
- Oldest Republic Reveals Secret 3 hours ago
- Beijing Locks Down More 3 hours ago
- Biden Admin Again Rejects Ukraine 3 hours ago
- Taliban Lands in Europe, Shock Welcome 3 hours ago
- Anti-Semitic Incidents Decade-High 3 hours ago
- Biden Fails to Nominate Ukraine Amb 3 hours ago
- Canada journo whines abt maskless FlL 3 hours ago
- Restaurateurs ask for more COVID money 3 hours ago
- Biden Nom says Voter ID Racist 3 hours ago
- Psaki Silent on Parent Smarts 3 hours ago
- Universities’ Last Leg Collapsing 3 hours ago
- FDA bans monoclonal for Florida 4 hours ago
- Nasdaq Will Go Bear Market 4 hours ago
- Bitcoin Falls 50% From High 4 hours ago
- S&P 500 correction then up 4 hours ago
- IRS says file ASAP 4 hours ago
- US food supply under pressure 4 hours ago
- Biden regulations crushing economy 4 hours ago
- Lithium Hits ‘Ludicrous Mode’ 4 hours ago
- Judge nixes NY mandate 4 hours ago
- Iran 12 months from ‘nuclear bomb’ 4 hours ago
- State Dept $ for China’s Surfers 4 hours ago
- Market Never Plunged 10% This Fast 4 hours ago
- Wall Street white knuckle 4 hours ago
- Bitcoin Faithful: Fears Send Chills 4 hours ago
- Fed may try to calm nerves 4 hours ago
- SUPERBUBBLE, SUPERBURST? 4 hours ago
- Lab monkey on run -‘infected’? 4 hours ago
- ANOTHER LOCKDOWN PARTY REVEALED 4 hours ago
- Boris partied while plebes banned 4 hours ago
- Violence against homeless increasing 4 hours ago
- Idaho Sitting on Important Element 4 hours ago
- Covid? Bars and gyms bustle! 4 hours ago
- Palin tests positive at start of trial 4 hours ago
- Drinking red wine reduces risk 4 hours ago
- Florida shark attacks up 4 hours ago
- Trump losing to Trumpism 4 hours ago
- The Year Biden Needs You to Forget 11 hours ago
- Trump For Speaker Of The House 11 hours ago
- Is Biden Right? The Future is the Left’s? 11 hours ago
- Why Masked & Unmasked Disdain Each Other 11 hours ago
- Biden Admin & Bogus Prenatal Tests 11 hours ago
- Inflation Killing Small Businesses 11 hours ago
- Runaway Government Spending 11 hours ago
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Did a friend forward this? Subscribe here. Welcome to the Wednesday edition of Internet Insider, where we tell you what you should be watching this week. TODAY:
 REVIEWS Has enough time passed for a parody of 2021 Amy Adams thriller The Woman in the Window to exist?
Realistically, no. The Woman in the House Across the Street From the Girl in the Window, out Friday, comes less than a year after Netflix’s poorly received The Woman in the Window, in which Adams tries to escape a clumsily plotted thriller about an agoraphobic, wine-guzzling woman named Anna.
In this new original series from Gloria Sanchez Productions, Kristen Bell stars as a grieving woman also named Anna, who (also) likes a heavy pour and develops a fixation on widowed neighbor Neil (Tom Riley). Once the series stops leaning on how much Anna drinks as the main source of dramatic tension and the investigative action starts, it picks up. And Bell is certainly capable, offering a more emotionally shattered Veronica Mars.
The series is obviously parodying a certain strain of psychological thrillers. But I almost wish the creators had just gone full Scary Movie here, because as is, TWITHATSFTGITW feels like an undercooked casserole of soapy tropes and mediocre writing. For a satire, it’s lacking any real comedy. And for a murder mystery, it’s awfully predictable.
When the trailer debuted in December, a lot of people apparently didn’t know it was parody. Unfortunately, that’s still not very clear.
The Woman in the House Across the Street From the Girl in the Window debuts Jan. 28 on Netflix.
By Audra Schroeder Senior Writer  SPONSORED It’s time to talk about the Joss Whedon problem. Sure, we all have a problematic fave when it comes to the TV shows and movies we love, but is love really that blind? Can ‘Buffy’ survive Joss Whedon? To watch or not to watch—the choice is ultimately yours, but you don’t have to make it alone. Here are a few suggestions on how you can comfortably and consciously indulge in your problematic fave.  NOW STREAMING One of my favorite early pandemic watches was The Leftovers. I watched the pilot of the HBO series when it first premiered in 2014, but that was it. My partner convinced me to watch the entire series in 2020 when we suddenly had a lot of time at home. (One of our staff writers also watched it and recapped it for this newsletter.)
Besides having one of the best finales to a TV show that I’d ever seen, I couldn’t stop thinking about another great aspect of the show: Carrie Coon. She made Nora Durst—a complex, grieving woman who lost her entire family—come alive. The Leftovers turned me into an immediate Carrie Coon fan. The Gilded Age, HBO’s new series from the creator of Downton Abbey, gives Coon a juicy new role.
Set in New York in 1882, it depicts a clash between rich people—the old money vs. the new money. Coon’s character falls into the new money category and, without giving too much away, isn’t well-received by her neighbors. The first episode, which premiered on Monday, was promising, and I recommend watching it even if you had no interest in Downton Abbey. The show has an amazing cast—Christine Baranski! Denée Benton!—but my main reason for watching it is because I want to see Coon try to take everyone down.
The Gilded Age airs Mondays on HBO Max.
—Tiffany Kelly, culture editor
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79.) POLITICHICKS
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81.) THE WESTERN JOURNAL
82.) CNN
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 Wednesday 01.26.22 A rapidly intensifying storm known as a bomb cyclone will likely dump large amounts of snow and ice across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic this weekend. Strong winds and flooding are also in the forecast, which may impact travel. Here’s what you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On With Your Day.  A member of the Ukrainian army based in Avdiivka, on the front line less than half a mile away from separatist forces.  Ukraine
President Joe Biden says a Russian invasion of Ukraine is imminent, but the atmosphere among the two country’s populations is wildly different. Images from state TV in Moscow depict NATO forces as the aggressors, with tanks and troops heading to the Ukrainian border and snipers taking aim. NATO, meanwhile, says there is still a diplomatic way out of the crisis, but Russia must show it’s ready to engage in good faith in political talks. Yesterday, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told CNN that Ukraine “will not allow anyone to impose any concessions” on his country as part of efforts to de-escalate the threat. The Kremlin denies it is planning to invade and argues that NATO support for Ukraine — including increased weapons supplies and military training — constitutes a growing threat on Russia’s western flank.
Coronavirus
Pfizer and BioNTech have begun a clinical trial for an Omicron-specific Covid-19 vaccine. The study will evaluate the new vaccine for safety, tolerability and the level of immune response in up to 1,420 healthy adults ages 18 to 55. Omicron cases currently account for more than 99% of new coronavirus cases in the US, the latest CDC estimates show. Covid-19 cases are also spiking in places like Brazil, where officials in the cities of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro yesterday announced the postponement of their official Carnival street parades due to the spread of the Omicron variant.
2020 Election
Federal prosecutors are reviewing fake Electoral College certifications that falsely declared former President Donald Trump won several states in the 2020 election that he actually lost, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco told CNN yesterday. The fake certificates falsely declaring Trump’s victory were sent to the National Archives by Trump’s allies in mid-December 2020. They have attracted public scrutiny amid the House’s January 6 investigation into the efforts by the Trump campaign to reverse the former president’s electoral defeat. Monaco said the investigation is ongoing and the Justice Department is going to “follow the facts and the law, wherever they lead, to address conduct of any kind and at any level that is part of an assault on our democracy.”
Chip shortage
A major computer chip shortage has left some manufacturers with only five days’ worth of inventory due to supply chain woes. According to a new report from the Commerce Department, the median supply of chips held by manufacturers has dropped from 40 days’ worth in 2019 to less than five days’ worth last year. The limited supply means that disruptions to production overseas — such as those from weather or new Covid-19 outbreaks — could again lead to factory shutdowns and furloughed workers in the US. This continues to disrupt production overseas while the pandemic and extreme weather cause even more delays. The shortage has been felt across the world, leading to price increases on everything from cars, cell phones and washing machines.
Egypt
The Biden administration has authorized more than $2 billion in arms sales to Egypt despite ongoing concerns about Cairo’s human rights record. The State Department said the sale includes military aircraft, air defense radar systems and other related equipment. In September, the US released $170 million in military aid to Egypt but also put $130 million on hold, conditioned on Egypt improving its record on human rights in specific ways. The Egyptian government has been charged with serious human rights abuses, including unlawful or arbitrary killings, forced disappearance, torture, harsh and life-threatening prison conditions, arbitrary detention, and restrictions on freedom of speech, expression, and political participation, according to the State Department’s annual report on human rights in the country.
Sponsor Content by The Ascent  Hands down one of the best cards for good credit The highest cash back card we’ve come across now has 0% intro APR until 2023. This is what smart spenders (and savers) dream about.
People are talking about these. Read up. Join in. The Bills-Chiefs game was the most-watched TV event since last year’s Super Bowl Were you among the 43 million people watching on the edge of your seat?
Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s books are on the auction block You have an opportunity to own a piece of RBG’s literary collection. So cool!
The couple who fell in love in Antarctica Dating in the coldest place on earth has its challenges, but this couple finds unique ways to heat up their romance.
Boston Red Sox hero David Ortiz elected to the baseball Hall of Fame A BIG win for Boston’s beloved “Big Papi!” Congratulations to the clutch hitter and now, Hall of Famer.
Simply Lemonade is becoming a boozy beverage The canned cocktail craze is here to stay and it’s simply amazing.  $13.8 trillion That’s how much the pandemic is expected to have cost the world in lost economic output by the end of 2024, according to the International Monetary Fund. Advanced economies are expected to return to pre-pandemic trajectories this year, but that’s not the case for several emerging markets and developing economies, which are still poised to suffer sizable output losses.
My husband’s reference to Anne Frank at a mandate rally in D.C. was reprehensible and insensitive. The atrocities that millions endured during the Holocaust should never be compared to anyone or anything. His opinions are not a reflection of my own.
— Actress Cheryl Hines, condemning her husband Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s comments about Anne Frank made during a rally against vaccine mandates. Kennedy compared Covid-19 vaccine requirements in the US to Nazi Germany, and suggested that Frank was better off than Americans whose jobs require them to get vaccinated. He later apologized for those comments.
Brought to you by CNN Underscored  How to treat keratosis pilaris, aka “chicken skin,” according to derms If you’re noticing areas of small, rough bumps on your body, you may be dealing with keratosis pilaris. We’ve asked dermatologists to break down exactly what it is, what causes it and what you can do to treat it.
Watch these flowers bloom before your eyes Here’s an incredible visual to freshen your day. (Click here to view)
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99.) MARK LEVIN
January 25, 2022
On Tuesday’s Mark Levin Show, the race is on between the U.S and the Chinese to retrieve America’s most advanced stealth fighter jet which has reportedly slid off the deck of a U.S Navy aircraft carrier in the South China Sea. U.S officials are concerned about China salvaging the aircraft before they do, to have a sample of the Navy’s most elite warplane. Then, many are concerned with why America should do anything with Ukraine. If the U.S ignores its responsibility to defend Ukraine under the Budapest Memorandum of Security Assurances of 1994 it would be violating its part of the treaty. Plus, America’s enemies will take note that the U.S has become weak. Later, contrary to the media, all science is not decided within 5 buildings in Washington, DC. Anthony Fauci is not the only doctor in America yet he acts like it. There was no peer-reviewed scientific data to discontinue therapeutics in yet Fauci and the FDA recklessly closed monoclonal treatment sites for citizens in Florida. Fauci claims that the therapeutics are ineffective against omicron since they weren’t designed to combat omicron although, neither were the current vaccines. Afterward, the CEO of Convention of States, Mark Meckler, calls in to share the good news of a 16th state that has accepted the Convention of States legislation supporting a constitutional convention of states. Finally, author and scholar Peter Schweizer joins the show to discuss the release of his new book “Red Handed: How American Elites Get Rich Helping China Win.” Schweizer describes a web of politicians, tech companies, academic institutions, and foreign governments that all have a hand in paving the way for the Chinese communist party while lining their own pockets with consulting deals and other cash incentives.
THIS IS FROM:
Daily Mail
Race to beat China to recover $100m US F-35 stealth fighter from bottom of South China Sea after it crash landed on aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson: Fears secret technology from America’s most advanced jet could fall into enemy hands
Fox News
Florida shuts monoclonal antibody treatment sites after FDA sets new limits
Rumble
DeSantis UNLOADS On FDA’s Reckless Decision To Stop Use Of Mononclonal Antibody Treatments In FL.
Right Scoop
Fox News reporter Bill Melugin catches Biden admin mass releasing illegals that are supposed to be DEPORTED
Washington Post
The Jan. 6 probe gets the ‘Russia hoax’ treatment
The podcast for this show can be streamed or downloaded from the Audio Rewind page.
Image used with permission of Getty Images / Gotham
100.) WOLF DAILY
101.) THE GELLER REPORT
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102.) CNS
103.) RELIABLE NEWS
104.) INDEPENDENT SENTINEL
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Independent Sentinel
Dems love borders…in Ukraine. Crazy Psaki thinks Ron DeSantis is crazy. No vax, no heart. DoD might be fudging vax data. Cheney attacks Newt as unraveling the law. Al Franken thinks America is Nazi Germany. OSHA withdrew their private employer mandate and now says it was merely a strong recommendation. Who’s the “stupid SOB?” 10,000 US truckers head for Canada in solidarity.
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105.) DC CLOTHESLINE
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106.) ARTICLE V LEGISLATORS’ CAUCUS
107.) BECKER NEWS
108.) SONS OF LIBERTY
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109.) STARS & STRIPES
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110.) RIGHT & FREE
111.) UNITED VOICE
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112.) THE DAILY SHAPIRO
113.) INSURGENT CONSERVATIVES
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 Tony Podesta is brother to John Podesta, who was counsel to Barak Obama.  “California should abolish parenthood, in the name of equity.” That’s the headline of a Ventura County Star column by Zocalo Public Square’s Joe Mathews….
 Dr. Malone made national headlines when he said Fauci had been liar ‘for decades.’  Peter Doocy got a call from President Biden about an hour after a vulgar incident.
 Peter Schweizer made the allegations in his new book ‘Red-Handed: How American Elites Get Rich Helping China Win.’ Insurgent Conservatives PO Box 8161 Greenwood, IN 46142 If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe here. |
114.) WAKING TIMES
115.) UNCOVER DC
116.) DC DIRTY LAUNDRY